The Third Crossing Argument

This editorial in the Daily Press makes the case for why spending $4 billion for a third crossing, a spur to Crainey Island and other road improvements is better for Hampton Roads than just widening the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. Estimates put that project at just under $2 billion, but the paper argues that the region's economic future - tied to the Navy and port-related industries - demands the new infrastructure. Newport News Mayor Joe Frank is trying to get the General Assembly to let the region raise money itself to pay for the projects.

Says the paper: 'It may take some imagination to see the benefits of the third crossing, but they are real. It is the only option with the potential for long-term, high-yield payback that will reverberate throughout the region.'