With so many vacationers headed to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, the city and police department have created a plan to control the crowds and the traffic.
City officials are expecting more than 100,000 people to visit the Oceanfront during the July 4 weekend. (Shocked, aren’t you?) Starting at 8 p.m., the Virginia Beach police force will divert traffic from I-264 eastbound at Parks Avenue and redirect traffic westbound, away from the area. Both the eastbound Birdneck Road exit and the westbound First Colonial Road exit will also be closed until 1 a.m. or until traffic thins out.
Those who need to get to the Oceanfront should use Shore Drive from the north, Laskin Road or Virginia Beach Boulevard from the west, or General Booth Boulevard from the South.
Luckily, the City of Virginia Beach is teaming up with the (free, community-based) GPS app WAZE to provide real-time traffic updates. Unlike other GPS systems, WAZE gives users a heads-up about road closures, police traps, and accidents.
Don’t want to download an app? No problem. The Virginia Department of Transportation created an interactive map that shows traffic trends along major roadways during previous holidays. The map suggests congestion at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and Monitor-Merrimac Bridge-Tunnel will be at its heaviest around 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
Don’t Forget About the Chesapeake Toll Increase
The scheduled annual toll increase for the Dominion Boulevard Veterans Bridge goes into effect on Sunday, July 1, at 12:01 a.m. According to the City of Chesapeake, the toll for all vehicle classes will increase by five percent or approximately $.05 for most passenger vehicles. (This toll increase is part of the multi-year toll schedule approved by Chesapeake City Council on July 10, 2012.) To see the full multi-year toll schedule, visit www.DominionBoulevard.com.
Will you be headed out into the congestive mess? Let us know in the comment section below!
