Saving drivers time, money and frustration
The Elizabeth River Tunnels project will improve the lives of local people substantially via greater accessibility to work, educational facilities, medical services, shopping and recreational activities. Currently in the area, three workdays are lost to congestion per driver per year. The project will generate a $170- $254 million annual increase in gross regional productivity.
This also translates into major benefits for individual motorists. When the new tunnel is complete, the average round-trip driver will save about 30 minutes a day, with additional lanes reducing 3+ miles traffic queues and dynamic electronic signs about traffic speeds on different routes informing choice between the Downtown and Midtown Tunnels.
In all, drivers will save $66.3 m in fuel costs a year, almost $200 a year for each resident, or equal to taking 29,120 cars off the road.
The project annual subsidy to Hampton Roads Transit will also increase levels of bus and ferry service between Portsmouth and Norfolk, providing a better-connected, low-cost alternative to driving in the corridor.
