U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a $422 million loan to help provide congestion relief to drivers in Norfolk and Portsmouth, Va., by providing credit assistance for the construction of a new Midtown Tunnel and rehabilitating existing tunnels to provide congestion relief to area drivers.
"President Obama has called on us to invest in transportation systems that are built to last," said Secretary LaHood. "Virginia is doing just that by investing in this key infrastructure project that will create jobs, reduce commute times and support our economic competitiveness."
The project, estimated at a total cost of $2.1 billion, includes the construction of a second Midtown Tunnel that will run parallel to the existing one, rehabilitation of the existing Midtown and two Downtown tunnels, and extension of the Martin Luther King Freeway, including a partial interchange to provide an additional connection. Read Secretary LaHood's Press Release.