As the Atlantic hurricane season nears its June 1 kickoff, we all must prepare for hurricanes, including the emergency response crews who are responsible for the safety of Virginians during hurricane-related evacuations. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), Virginia State Police and the Virginia National Guard will partner to conduct an emergency preparedness exercise on May 11 from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. to test state agencies’ ability to reverse Interstate 64 traffic between Hampton Roads and Richmond.

The reversal of I-64 is an element of the commonwealth’s overall hurricane response plan. A reversal can be ordered by the governor to speed the evacuation of the Hampton Roads region in the event of a hurricane or other disaster.

The exercise involves closing I-64 east between I-295 near Richmond (Exit 200) to just east of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (Exit 272). The agencies will rehearse all of the steps needed to place westbound traffic in both the westbound and the eastbound lanes of I-64, but no actual westbound traffic will be routed onto the eastbound lanes during the exercise.

The exercise will test the commonwealth’s lane-reversal plan and will allow the agencies to evaluate the effectiveness of communications tools, inter-agency procedures and the incident-command structure. It will provide real-world experience for the crews that will have to quickly close 36 interchanges and safely reverse the direction of travel on the interstate if an evacuation is ordered.

“We want to rehearse an interstate reversal before a real-world event makes it necessary,” said Michael Cline, Virginia’s state coordinator of emergency management. “It is vital that VDOT, VDEM, the State Police and the National Guard prepare for emergencies, just as we ask encourage all Virginians to develop and practice their own emergency plans.”

Virginia has practiced this reversal only once, during a similar exercise in 2007. No actual interstate lane reversal has ever been ordered in the commonwealth.

The exercise is planned for a time period when the fewest motorists use I-64. Fewer than 1,000 vehicles normally use the busiest stretch of I-64 in the exercise area during the two early morning hours of the exercise. The agencies involved in the exercise have notified motorists, businesses and major transportation hubs in the corridor to minimize traffic delays.

“Although we never want to cause motorists delays, emergency response is a key focus for VDOT and our partner agencies,” said David S. Ekern, VDOT commissioner. “All emergency responders must possess the training and experience to conduct safe and efficient evacuations in a crisis. We have planned this exercise for a time that impacts the fewest motorists while ensuring that our crews get the training they need to safely and efficiently conduct any lane reversal ordered during an emergency event.”