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Pocahontas Parkway (also known as Route 895) is a toll road near Richmond, Virginia. It connects Interstate 95 and Virginia State Highway 150 in Chesterfield County with Interstate 295 near Richmond International Airport in Henrico County.
Due to a quirk in the evolution of the road, the long-planned designation of Interstate 895 could not be used. It is anticipated that this change may take place at some future time, hence the unusual state highway number in the interim.
Richmond is located on the fall line of the James River. The 8.8-mile roadway features a costly high-level bridge over the shipping channel of the navigable portion of the tidal James River downstream from the deepwater Port of Richmond to allow ample clearance for ocean-going vessels to pass under. Two persons were killed in accidents during the construction of the bridge.
The toll collection facility features the Richmond area's only high-speed open lanes, allowing vehicles to travel through the toll facility at highway speeds with a Smart Tag or other compatible electronic toll collection transponder.
Public-private construction
The highway was built without the use of toll revenue bonds through an innovative public-private partnership. Though the road had been planned for many years, sufficient state and federal construction funds were not available when the road was finally desired. In 1995, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Public-Private Transportation Act allowing private entities to propose innovative solutions for designing, constructing, financing and operating transportation improvements. An acceptable proposal was submitted jointly by Fluor Daniel and Morrison Knudsen, and an agreement was reached.
Interstate designation
The road was originally planned as Interstate 895. However, in January 2002 when the Virginia Department of Transportation sought the Interstate designation from the Federal Highway Administration, it was informed that the expressway was not qualified for such a designation, as federal statute 23 USC 129(a)(1)(A) indicates that federal funds may not be used for an Interstate toll-road. Thus, toll-roads using no federal funds and freeways of any funding source are eligible for Interstate designation, but toll-roads that use federal funds are not. In this case, $9.28 million of the preliminary engineering (out of a total $324 million cost) was funded by the federal government, and the project ultimately opened as a toll road, disqualifying the road as a bearer of an Interstate shield. *
Because of the unique situation, the new roadway was designated as a State Highway using the same number with the expectation that it would be eligible for an Interstate designation upon completion and cession of ownership to the Commonwealth. With the current VA-895 designation, this route one of only a very few which violates Virginia's numbering convention that forbids primary state highways to be numbered above 599. (Only one other future Interstate route, Interstate 785 in the Danville area currently holds a primary state highway number, also above 599, and that toll-free roadway is unsigned as VA-785, pending completion of the North Carolina portion which will connect the spur route to I-85 near Greensboro).
Paranormal reports
The bridge, when it opened, was the focus of several claims of paranormal activity that became a drain on the patience of local law enforcement. Documented claims by toll plaza employees, state police and drivers made local headlines and television news reports, with claims of Indian ghosts and ghostly, speed addicted drivers among the most common tales told.
Acquisition by Transurban
In May 2006, the Pocahontas Parkway was acquired by Transurban, an Australian corporation that runs toll roads. Transurban, which owns and operates the CityLink tollway in Melbourne and the M2 Hills Motorway toll road in Sydney, said that it had agreed to acquire a 99-year concession on the Pocahontas Parkway for a total cost of $US611 million ($A815 million). Transurban has 100% control of the parkway. *
Criteria to be built successfully as toll road
Since there are non-toll alternative routes available, certain criteria were considered before determining that the road could be successfully built and financed through tolls.
1. The relatively short road had high construction costs due principally to the requirement for a high-level bridge across the James River.
2. Of local motorists, the principal beneficiaries are businesses and residents pf Chesterfield County, although very little of the roadway is actually loacted within that county. Thus, agreement among the regional local governments to spend limited resources on a costly roadway which primarily benefits only a single jurisdiction was problematic.
3. The new road saves considerable time and mileage for many users, allowing a cost/benefit decision by users to make use of the new road and payment of tolls more likely.
4. Planned better access to the Richmond International Airport via an additional exit will increase useage in the future.
5. The newer toll collection technology reduced operating costs and enhanced the time saving aspect for users.
Problems
Several unforseen problems impacted the project.
1. The loss of Interstate designation. This may have ended up becoming marginal, as the major volume is local users, many of whom were long aware of the high costs in time and mileage of alternative routing. 2. The soil on the south side of the James River included shrink-swell clay which necessitated deeper foundations than originally planned.
3. In a final design phase, officials of the City of Richmond (city limits are just north of the bridge) protested the lack of access to and from I-95 in the direction of the city. With the prospect of airport access from Route 895, Richmond feared losing tourist business. A compromise reached provided a costly ramp for traffic headed toward the city, but not one for return traffic.
Trivia
- At the interchange with Interstate 95 at the southern terminus, there is no entrance ramp for southbound traffic on I-95 to enter VA-895. There are also no signs directing any motorists who may wish to make this change in roads.
External links
- www.fluor.com, Fluor Daniel
- www.wgint.com, Washington Group International (successor company to Morrison Knudsen)
- Route 895 - Pocahontas Parkway, Roads to the Future, Highway and Transportation History
Toll roads in Virginia | Transportation in Richmond, Virginia | Virginia state highways | Bridges over the James River (Virginia)
"Route 895 (Virginia)"