WINDSOR
The Virginia Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are preparing a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and permit application for the Preferred Alternative of the Route 460 Project Southeast Virginia.

The Preferred Alternative under study was approved by the Commonwealth Transportation Board in February and displayed at public meetings in May. It would consist of a new four-lane divided highway from a new U.S. 460/58 interchange in Suffolk to west of Windsor. From west of Windsor to west of Zuni, the existing U.S. 460 would be upgraded to a four-lane divided highway and include a new bridge across the Blackwater River to eliminate long-standing flooding problems.

An important component of the environmental study on the project is a report of the location and limits of wetlands along the project corridor called the Final Waters of the U.S. Delineation Report and Request for Preliminary Jurisdictional Determination. It was submitted to USACE at the end of July.

Field work is ongoing to support the design for the permit application and to identify potential rare, threatened or endangered species habitat. In November there will be a public comment period following the submission of the final permit application to USACE.

Before the project can acquire property or begin construction, it must receive a Record of Decision from FHWA and a permit decision from USACE. These decisions are expected by next summer. The project must also be scored under House Bill 2 on an objective data-driven process. Once the project is scored, the CTB will decide whether or not to advance the project for further design and construction.

Visit the project website for more information, and stay tuned for future updates. The project team can be reached by toll-free information line at 1-855-460-4600 o rInfo@Route460Project.org.