NORFOLK –Dodging potholes will soon be a distant memory for the many motorists who use Interstate 64 East in Norfolk. Earlier this month, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) awarded the first phase of the I-64 Concrete Replacement Project in the amount of $5 million to Dorey Electric, a locally-owned business in Norfolk.

Crews have begun removing the dilapidated concrete patches and are replacing them with fresh sections of concrete overlay. The first stretch of roadway being replaced on I-64 East extends from the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel to Little Creek in Norfolk. Once this section is complete, crews will begin replacing patches on I-64 West from Little Creek to the Ham pton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.

Phase I began this week and is scheduled to end fall 2012. During construction, motorists should expect lane closures on weeknights from 11 p.m. until 5 a.m. while crews are striping, joint sealing and grinding away the old patches. Once crews begin laying new concrete work, closures will be from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m.

Phase II replacement repairs will continue from Little Creek to the Twin Bridges in Norfolk. This project is slated for bid in early 2012. The third and final phase, also scheduled for bid in 2012, will extend from the Twin Bridges to Greenbrier Parkway in Chesapeake.