CHALLENGE Dominion Boulevard/U.S. Route 17 in Chesapeake, Virginia, was once labeled a safety hazard. Unbeknownst to most commuters traveling the 3.8-mile corridor, the accident rate was the highest in the region. The existing two-lane roadway and steel drawbridge could not accommodate traffic demands and delays resulting from an average of 16 bridge lifts per day (nearly 6,000 per year). Rated by Congress as one of 20 National Highway System High Priority Corridors, the route was also a designated hurricane evacuation route and was prone to flooding. Despite the pressing need for improvements, a lack of sufficient funding hampered efforts to move the project forward. Eventually, the city chose to find its own solution and pursued the work as a Virginia Department of Transportat

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