Proposed I-87

Interstate 87
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I-87 Sure...whatever North Carolina wants

		I-87: In April 2016, AASHTO approved a request by NCDOT to have an interstate corridor from Raleigh to Norfolk. NCDOT wanted I-89 for this and AASHTO said they could have I-87 instead. Presumably VDOT went along with this designation as a corridor. I-87 in Virginia would follow US 17 from North Carolina to its I-64/464 interchange. It is not known if it would also replace I-464 and run to the downtown Norfolk area. US 17 is full freeway from VA 165 north but is normal 4-lane divided roadway the other 14 miles. My opinion is that it would require 5 interchanges to be built on a converted interstate such that traffic would not need to be restored to the abandoned US 17 roadway along the Dismal Swamp Canal. VDOT has made no mention in any document I have seen to plan or construct anything to convert US 17 to an interstate. North Carolina is much further along and is already in the planning stages for upgrading its roads (US 64 and US 17) where necessary to meet interstate requirements. NCDOT had initially been touting this as an I-44 route in 2012 and proposals back to the 1990s had the idea of a Raleigh to Norfolk interstate. Truth be told it would not be much shorter than I-95 and US 58. Not sure about the wisdom of an odd numbered interstate when this is clearly an east-west corridor.

Page last modified 14 July 2017