When I-64 gets backed up, drivers end up filling city streets in Hampton. The city wants to put a stop to it.

Hampton is looking for a way to combat traffic jams in the city caused by eastbound drivers trying to avoid backups on Interstate 64.

The City Council is considering a pilot program that would close access to the Settlers Landing Road eastbound I-64 ramp from 3-6 p.m. on weekdays. In June, the access would be closed coming from Hampton University. In July, the closure would change and access would be closed coming from Woodland.

“One of the major traffic issues we’ve had in the city in recent years is where some of the mapping applications have sent people through our city to avoid the traffic on I-64 because of backups that occur related to the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel,” said Brian DeProfio, assistant city manager.

The gridlock on city streets makes it difficult for customers to get to businesses and for residents to get into their homes. The congestion is overflowing into Phoebus and downtown Hampton.

And the problem is expected to get worse as construction on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel continues, according to DeProfio.

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The Virginia Department of Transportation warned city officials in the fall of 2020 that congestion in the city would increase while work was done for the $3.8 billion expansion project. The hope is that when the project is finished, Hampton’s traffic problem will be too.

The city launched a similar two-month pilot program April 1 that closed the Mallory Street Bridge Ramp from 3-6 p.m. on weekdays.

“Since we started that program in early April, we have significantly reduced the traffic concerns in downtown Phoebus,” said Jason Mitchell, the city’s public works director.

During the first three weeks of the closures, there were times eastbound traffic on the interstate was backed up as far as Rip Rap Road, but there weren’t any backups in Phoebus, Mitchell said.

He asked the City Council to consider extending the Mallory Street pilot program for an additional 60 days while the city also tries to address the traffic at Settlers Landing Road.

If approved, the pilot programs will be used to collect data on the impact the measures have on city streets while the city continues to explore options to reduce traffic.

Jessica Nolte, 757-912-1675, jnolte@dailypress.com