Saturday, December 29, 2012

The Hampton Roads Bad Signage Trip, Part V: Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Interstate 664

From the east end of I-64, we continue northbound on its most recently-completed child, I-664. I-664 forms the western part of the Hampton Roads Beltway, heading north from Bowers Hill through eastern Suffolk to Newport News and Hampton. The section of I-664 from Bowers Hill to VA 135 wasn't completed until 1991, with the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel completing the route the next year. The section in Newport News and Hampton is older. Its exits are numbered sequentially and backwards, increasing in number from south to north. I covered the southernmost part of I-664 back in July, so we'll resume at Exit 13.

I don't understand why SR 663 was ever signed on I-664. Norfolk County ceased to exist in 1963, and I-664 is nearly 30 years newer.

Passing under VA 191.



Hey look, it's VA 337. Again.



Derp.


Oh hey, another Norfolk County secondary route that doesn't exist anymore.

Spaghetti Eddie's.

Big ol' water tower.

Up next, US 17 and VA 164, seen earlier.

Either I took this photo waaaay too early or I just missed the Suffolk city limits sign.

Another tunnel warning.

After US 17 is VA 135.

The actual tunnel is 6 miles away. The bridge is 2-3 miles before that.

Suffolk has its own big ol' water tower.

VA 135 is the last pre-tunnel exit.

We begin to see tunnel inspection signage immediately after the VA 135 exit.


Getting on the bridge. There's also video.

Off to the east is Norfolk. Or possibly Portsmouth.

To the west is Newport News.

The opposite-facing signals on the other carriageway are for contraflow situations, such as a hurricane evacuation.



Here comes the tunnel.

It's pretty foreboding inside.

Inside.

Resurfacing.

The speed limit was 60 throughout.

We're in downtown Newport News, not that you can really tell.


Jefferson is unsigned VA 143.

There's an older US 60 shield. See, not all Hampton Roads signage is bad.

I must have missed whatever I was trying to photograph here.

Old merge sign that I missed.



Powhatan and Power Plant.

Power Plant Parkway takes you to (and briefly becomes) VA 415, the only 4xx route on this side of Hampton Roads.

I think the overpass behind this older I-64 BGS actually is VA 415, Queen Street.

The last I-664 reassurance shield hangs on a gantry with BGS's for its parent route.

"I think we forgot something." "Eh, we'll just add it on later if we did."


In the next installment, we'll see more of the Hampton Roads Beltway.

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