Chesapeake Daily: Toll Vote, Gilmerton Bridge Crash Delays, and Weather-Driven School Changes

Wednesday briefing — Here are the Chesapeake stories that stood out in the last few days, ranked by local impact.

Toll changes approved after a close vote

Chesapeake City Council voted 5–4 to approve a package of toll-rate changes affecting both Dominion Boulevard’s Veterans Bridge and the Chesapeake Expressway. The discussion focused on long-term maintenance and the cost of running cashless tolling, especially for drivers billed by license plate.

• Dominion Boulevard (toll-by-plate): Starting July 1, the license-plate rate will be set at three times the E‑ZPass rate.
• Chesapeake Expressway (Southern Segment weekends): Starting May 1, weekend pricing changes will also affect participants in the city’s discount program during the Memorial Day–Labor Day peak season.
• Discount program fees: Annual enrollment fees were also approved to increase.

If you commute across the Veterans Bridge or use the expressway often, the biggest practical takeaway is that how you pay (E‑ZPass vs. toll-by-plate) is becoming an even bigger part of the total cost.

Crash cluster snarls South Military Highway near the Gilmerton Bridge

A stretch of South Military Highway at the Gilmerton Bridge closed in both directions early Monday after multiple crashes. The roadway reopened later in the morning, but traffic congestion persisted as the commute normalized.

Schools adjusted schedules as winter weather moved through

As the latest round of Hampton Roads snow and ice arrived, Chesapeake Public Schools operated on a two-hour delay Monday, February 23, amid a wider mix of delays and closures across the region.

Quick take

Between toll policy, bridge-area collisions, and weather-driven schedule changes, this week’s theme has been transportation — how we pay for it, how we move through it, and how quickly plans shift when conditions turn.

Sources

• https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/split-vote-chesapeake-city-council-063117996.html
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/multiple-crashes-shut-down-military-121948868.html
• https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/snow-closures-delays-monday-feb-015900214.html