NORFOLK -- The Hampton Roads District Commissioner for VDOT says he's so sure the Midtown Tunnel Project will happen that he's urging people buy toll E-Z passes now, saying he's confident drivers will need them.
Transportation officials went to Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim last Wednesday to reassure him that efforts continue to get a second tube at the often-clogged tunnel.
Fraim said VDOT's district commissioner hopes to have enough planning done by March 2011 for a figure on how much the toll will be.
Fraim says the toll shouldn't exceed $1.50, which is less than the $2.17 suggested by the project's private partner.
That money would pay for the expansion, renovate the Downtown Tunnel and build an expressway to connect them in Portsmouth.
Concerned that the plan was in trouble, Mayor Fraim sent a letter to Gov. Bob McDonnell and that prompted the meeting.
