UPDATE: Hampton is postponing the pilot program that would affect rush hour traffic at I-64 and Settlers Landing and Woodland roads. The program, which had been scheduled to start next week, has been pushed back to later in the summer.
HAMPTON—Hampton City Council voted the week of May 9 to limit access to the ramp leading from Settlers Landing Road to interstate 64 during afternoon rush hour. The plan, which is scheduled to go into effect on June 1, hopes to discourage motorists from using residential streets to bypass congestion on I-64 heading toward Norfolk.
This follows a move Hampton City Council made in April when it voted to reduce the Mallory Street Bridge to one-way traffic from 3pm to 6pm. In June, the city will close access to the Settlers Landing ramp onto I-64 traffic during the same hours.
Many motorists exit I-64 East when they spot a backup in order to take residential streets in an attempt to “go around” the backup and move ahead in line. The goal of limiting access is to encourage motorists to stay on I-64 so they do not create backups on city streets near the ramps closest to the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT). The plan does not affect access to westbound I-64.
Hampton is working with Apple Maps, Waze, and other mapping apps to alert drivers to the new traffic patterns.