VDOT seeks engineering firm for Goochland diverging diamond project

A new consultant search for the Goochland diverging diamond project has pushed the I-64 and Route 623 overhaul one step closer to visible work on the ground. Virginia Department of Transportation posted the construction engineering and inspection solicitation on May 12, and consulting firms have until June 3 at 2 p.m. to respond.

The posting is for CEI services on the I-64/Rte 623 Goochland County Diverging Diamond Interchange Design-Build Project, known as Goochland DDI 123919. In plain terms, it signals that VDOT is moving from planning and design toward the phase when a contractor, inspectors and field engineers will be needed to manage actual construction.

That future construction will be substantial. VDOT says the project will convert the existing interchange at Interstate 64 and Ashland Road into a diverging diamond, widen and reconfigure Ashland Road, build a new bridge over the interstate, widen and reconstruct four ramps, and add drainage, stormwater, signs, signals, lighting and pavement markings. The agency also plans to relocate the Bennington Road and Ashland Road intersection about 675 feet north and shift the Hickory Haven Park and Ride lot to the southwest quadrant of the interchange.

For Goochland drivers, those details matter well before the first lane closure appears. A diverging diamond changes how traffic moves through the interchange, and the work on ramps, bridge structure and roadway alignment will eventually affect commuting patterns, school travel and access to the eastern end of the county. The county has said the Hickory Haven Park and Ride move will double the size of the lot and add lighting, a potential bus stop and road access.

VDOT’s project page lists the interchange as being in design, with construction estimated to start in fall 2026 and wrap up in summer 2029. Goochland County has said it is working closely with VDOT to finalize the design and schedule construction to accommodate current traffic demands and planned growth along the corridor, and county materials have said construction had been planned for 2027. A January 2026 Commonwealth Transportation Board resolution also described the work as a four-lane diverging diamond with widening, new bridge construction, ramp reconstruction and drainage and stormwater improvements.

The project has already moved through multiple review steps. VDOT said an Interchange Access Report was required by both VDOT and the Federal Highway Administration before the interchange modification could proceed, a requirement that helps explain why the project has taken a deliberate path through design and approval. For eastern Goochland, the consultant search is not the finish line. It is a marker that the interchange redesign is advancing toward the stage when construction phasing, lane shifts and traffic pattern changes become unavoidable.