Phish fans, others: Avoid I-64 tonight August 9, 2004 - Hampton Roads Daily Press By Stephanie Heinatz Attention, Phish fans: If you thought getting tickets to tonight's sold-out show was hard, wait till you see the traffic jam waiting for you on your way to (and from) the Hampton Coliseum. I have just one piece of advice: Leave early on your way there and be patient on your way home. On the map, Interstate 64 looks like the most obvious route to the show. After all, the Coliseum sits beside the interstate. But because of the Mercury Boulevard interchange project, traffic on the interstate often crawls. Who wants to be late to a tailgate party or the show? Before deciding on a route, visit www.virginiadot.org, where more than 100 cameras broadcast live shots of the region's main arteries. You can see for yourself how bad traffic is through the work zone. Or call the VDOT Highway Helpline at 1-800-367-ROAD (7623) to get the same information. Coming from the north? Think about using Route 17 to Jefferson Avenue to Mercury Boulevard. Coming from the south? Think about using I-664 to 35th Street to Warwick Boulevard to Mercury Boulevard. Another option: I-664 to Power Plant Drive, then right on Pine Chapel Road to the Coliseum. Even though VDOT has plans for various lane closures, and even a few traffic stops, on Mercury Boulevard and I-64 tonight, project engineer Tom Druhot said VDOT is working with the Coliseum to ease concert-related congestion. "We always coordinate that with the time that the concert is let out so that we don't impact concert-goers," Druhot said. "We will be pushing the lane closures back later into the night." Oh, and for everyone not heading out to the concert, just don't go near the Coliseum Central area before or after the show. The parking lot opens at 3 p.m. - a big deal because tailgating is as much a part of the show as the music - and the doors open at 6 p.m. Expect the show to end between 11 p.m. and midnight. Article Copyright © 2004 Hampton Roads Daily Press