Norfolk mayor agrees to back expansion of Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel

In a concession that state lawmakers say likely will mend a regional split over transportation, Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim has agreed to support an expanded Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.

Fraim's change of heart is tantamount to an endorsement by localities in South Hampton Roads, said state Del. G. Glenn Oder, R-Newport News.

"It's a significant step forward to hear the mayor say he's supportive of the concept," Oder said. "It's a dramatic breakthrough."

Fraim chairs the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization, which is made up of local government representatives and oversees transportation planning.

Members of the region's legislative delegation on the Peninsula have said they would not support a transportation plan unless consideration was given to expanding the bridge-tunnel.

State Sen. Kenneth Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, called Fraim's shift a "significant development that addresses the concerns of legislators on the Peninsula. Realistically, their concerns had to be addressed."

The expansion would add one lane to each side of Interstate 64 and a two-lane tunnel, which connects Norfolk and Hampton.

Norfolk has opposed an expansion in the past because of fears that about 155 homes in Ocean View and Willoughby would have to be razed to make way for it. But Fraim and Oder said they now believe it can be done without taking residences in Norfolk or Hampton.

An expansion would be at least a decade away and likely require the addition of tolls to the bridge-tunnel.

The General Assembly is set to meet in special session this spring to try to figure out ways to raise money for transportation needs in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia.

The Metropolitan Planning Organization has identified six projects in Hampton Roads costing $9 billion. Fraim estimated that adding the bridge-tunnel project would push the price tag above $10 billion.

Fraim revealed his willingness to consider the project as he and Oder were being interviewed Wednesday by Cathy Lewis for a public affairs show that will be aired at 10:30 tonight on WHRO-TV.

Fraim said Thursday that he agreed to the expansion for the good of the region. "What I'm trying to do is make sure the MPO package stays intact," he said.

Thursday morning, Oder and state Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, R-Newport News, wrote Pierce R. Homer, the state transportation secretary, asking for a study of a potential bridge-tunnel expansion. Oder said Homer committed to do so late Thursday.

Oder stressed that the expansion would be in addition to the so-called third bridge-tunnel to the Peninsula, a series of bridges and tunnels designed to funnel traffic from Norfolk through the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.

"What was proposed before was an either/or proposition - either adding six lanes at the Hampton Roads tunnel or building the third crossing," Oder said. He said he is hopeful the region's legislative delegation will emerge united behind a transportation plan after meetings are held next week in Suffolk and Hampton to discuss the issue.

"If the Hampton Roads tunnel can be evaluated as a separate project without doing any violence to the six projects, I believe we can all unite around that," Oder said. "We're a lot closer than we were."

Harry Minium, (757) 446-2371, harry.minium@pilotonline.com