On November 14, 2023, the Chesapeake City Council held a work session from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and a regular meeting from 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 306 Cedar Road. The work session focused on transportation updates from VDOT and local projects. The regular meeting included a public hearing on a Dominion Energy easement, approval of multiple resolutions and appropriations, citizen comments, and a closed meeting.
Item (4) – Verizon Cable Franchise Extension (23-O-105)
Items (5), (6), (7) – Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds for Standard Forest Cove I, II, III
Item (8) – School Operating Fund and Capital Improvement Program Amendments
I'll turn the uh mic over to our city manager. Mr. Price. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. We have a transportation extravaganza for you this evening, and uh, since we have several topics uh to to go over with you, I'll turn it over to our director of public works, Mr. Earl Sorry. Uh thank you, Mr. Manager. And yeah, we we do have a number of projects that we'll go through tonight. Uh first up will be our um our V dot partners, and that uh presentation will be led by Mr. Uh Christopher Hall, the V DOT district engineer for the Hampton Roads District. Well, good evening uh mayor and council members. Uh it's certainly a uh an honor to be here and provide uh have the opportunity to provide you guys an update on the work that's going on in your area. But I'd also like to take this opportunity to uh recognize your city staff and uh the guy sitting next to me and some of the other folks behind me that have been really tremendous partners uh with all of the work that we have going on uh here in your area. Uh just a great great partnership working through some pretty complex issues. Um, great team, good leaders, and uh just wanted to recognize them, all the great work that they're doing. A couple of things that uh want to cover tonight, and I'll be uh conscious of your time is uh provide just sort of an overall refresher of what we talk about in terms of our I-64 Express Lanes Network, and then dive into some more details on specific projects that we have ongoing, and we have planned in the not too distant future uh in the city of Chesapeake. This is sort of the big picture, and uh when you when you look at the Hampton Roads Express lanes network, this uh when it is complete, uh we will have a 45-mile continuous network that will run uh from the I-64 Denby Boulevard overpass area up on the peninsula all the way around across the Hampton Roads uh bridge tunnel expansion project down through this the uh Norfolk area and then uh terminate right here in the city of Chesapeake in the Bowers Hill Interchange. Uh, it'll be delivered in seven different projects and fully operational right now. We project in calendar year 28. Now that doesn't mean you know we we anticipate uh delivering pieces of this project over time, so uh not that we'll we'll have full full operational uh connectivity along that 45 mile network uh in uh 28, but we will have portions of that network coming online sooner than that. Uh it will be a high occupancy toll two system. So if you're riding with somebody, you will be riding for free if you have the flex pass transponder, and I'll talk a little bit more about that. And it'll be using the dynamic tolling system. So if you're familiar with how the tolls are managed on our current reversible lane, we call congestion tolling. So the more traffic that gets in the system, the higher the higher the rate goes up. It's really to make sure that we have a reliable trip in that lane. Next is a short video that that sort of walks you through what uh this system will look like from a drive-through perspective. Spanning an impressive 50 miles once completed. The Hampton Roads Express Lanes Network along I-64 will help to relieve congestion in the general purpose lanes by providing additional choices for commuters. This results in more reliable travel times. The pursuit to relieve traffic congestion along I-64 in the Hampton Roads area is ongoing. And VDOT, in regional partnership with the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission and the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization is continuously working to make your commute better. With the integration of the I-64 Express lanes, VDOT brings this tried and true strategy that has been successfully implemented in other parts of the state. It provides a reliable and seamless alternative to the general purpose lanes. The general purpose lanes are always available and free. The express lanes are free for high occupancy vehicles with easy pass flex transponders and motorcycles. Single occupancy vehicles can ride in the express lanes by paying a toll. The toll price is dynamic and fluctuates depending upon the amount of traffic in the express lanes. The dynamic toll price ensures reliable speeds and travel times in the express lanes. As you enter onto I-64, merge into the general purpose lanes, and then safely transition to the inside general purpose lane. Before entering the express lanes, overhead signs will indicate the current toll rate. The price you see on the electric toll sign is the amount you'll be charged and will not change throughout the duration of your trip. Flexible barrier post and pavement markings separate the express lanes from the general purpose lanes. Now that you have arrived at the entrance, safely enter the express lane. And follow the same easy pass and easy pass flex rules already implemented across the network. Remember, other drivers will be entering and exiting at these openings. So be careful, yield and drive safely. After you depart the managed lanes, you will have ample time to safely move across the general purpose lanes to reach your desired exit.