RICHMOND, VA. — The proposed Route 460 Corridor - Interstate 85 Connector Improvement Project between Hampton Roads and Petersburg will do far more than present an alternative to the congested I-64 corridor, according to a new report released by Chmura Economics, a national consulting firm based in Richmond. Chmura's study states that the $1.6 billion project to provide a new four-lane highway linking the Port of Virginia to commercial and population centers to the south and west will have an annual economic impact by 2020 estimated at $7.3 billion, supporting 14,120 jobs in the corridor, and $5.7 billion, supporting 11,255 jobs in the Hampton Roads area alone.

   WASHINGTON, D.C. — The ARTBA Foundation is now accepting nominations for the 2012 Transportation Development Hall of Fame. The hall honors individuals or families from the public and private sectors who have made extraordinary contributions to U.S. transportation development or demonstrated exceptional leadership over their lifetime.

   RICHMOND, VA. — Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell announced that the Dominion Boulevard project, a significant transportation improvement to ease congestion and improve safety in Chesapeake, Va., will move forward as a result of financing provided by the Virginia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (VTIB).

  COLUMBIA, S.C. — The LPA Group Inc. (LPA), a unit of Michael Baker Corporation, was awarded a $5.1 million contract by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) to develop final construction plans for a new 5.7-mile section of Interstate 73 between I-95 and U.S. Route 501 in Dillon County, S.C., near the town of Latta.

   AUSTIN, TEXAS — The city of Austin awarded a contract to Parsons Brinckerhoff for the development of a transportation corridor plan along an 11.5-mile portion of I-35 in central Austin. The intent of the project is to achieve better performance, efficiency, and connectivity through greater Austin while minimizing impacts to right-of-way and adjacent development.