VIRGINIA BEACH — A heavily trafficked section of Laskin Road has finally been widened. More construction remains to be completed on the east side of the Laskin Road corridor, but Virginia Department of Transportation officials say the project is wrapping up and could be completed by the spring.
It has been five years since the project began, and it was originally expected to be completed in 2023. A VDOT engineer has said soil conditions and utility conflicts have delayed the project.
The contractor who widened the road to an eight-lane highway accelerated work along the west side of the road this fall.
The Virginia Department of Transportation offered Allan Myers, Inc. from Pennsylvania a $1.5 million incentive to beat the holiday rush. According to VDOT, the company met the Nov. 1 deadline.
The expedited work extended from Republic Road to the Hilltop North Shopping Center, as well as on First Colonial Road from Laurel Lane to I-264. It included widening the road, adding medians, curbs and gutters and providing access to commercial, sanitary and storm sewer facilities and traffic signals.
The total cost of the Laskin Road widening and replacement project is approximately $150 million, of which the city is financing $42.7 million. According to VDOT, the contractor incentive was funded from the project’s overall construction budget.
Businesses, residents and shoppers in the Hilltop area spent five years building over two miles. The work included removing the infamous feeder lanes that ran parallel to Laskin Road.
The remaining works for the Laskin Road project include:
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Replacement of the eastern bridge over Linkhorn Bay.
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Roadworks on the eastern portion of the Laskin Road project corridor, including roadway, curb and gutter construction, utilities, business entrances and signal works.
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Center lighting and final design of the project corridor.
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
