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03/13/2023 – World Highways
Major new tunnel expansion project for Virginia
A huge new tunnel expansion project in Virginia is expected to cost US$3.8 billion, making it the biggest highway works planned in the state. The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) Expansion project is being managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
HRBT Expansion Project
With a budget of more than $3.8 billion, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) Expansion project for the Virginia Department of Transportation is the largest highway construction project in the state’s history. The project involves widening the current four-lane segments along nearly 10 miles of the I-64 corridor in Norfolk and Hampton, with new twin tunnels across the harbor. The expansion will increase capacity, ease major congestion and enhance travel time reliability.
News 3 gets view of HRBT expansion by boat
When you drive over the HRBT, you can see the progress being made on the expansion, but on Thursday News 3 got a different perspective from a boat.
The boat tour started at the southern end of the project. A new taller 8-lane bridge is being built to connect the tunnels to Norfolk.
08/25/2022 – 13News Now
Crews make headway on HRBT Expansion Project
One of the largest infrastructure projects in Virginia history is making headway: the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) Expansion Project.
It’s no secret that heavy traffic and stoppages are common with the HRBT, especially during rush hour. This project is supposed to help alleviate that issue.
On Thursday, 13News Now got an exclusive look at where production stands.
05/28/2022 – 13News Now
VDOT gives inside look at tunnel production for massive HRBT Expansion Project
The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project will soon take shape.
On Wednesday, 13News Now got a look at the production process for building two new underground tunnels.
“This is the largest project VDOT has undertaken,” said HRBT Expansion Project Director James Utterback.
Workers are building the tunnels one ring at a time at a Cape Charles production yard.
02/23/2022 – 13News Now
VDOT says progress with HRBT expansion project being made
Unlike the typical commute, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) said construction at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) is moving along well.
It’s no secret that heavy traffic and stoppages are synonymous with the HRBT, especially during rush hour. The largest infrastructure project in the state’s history is supposed to help alleviate that issue.
09/23/2021
HRBT Expansion Project featured on WTKR News Channel 3
05/14/2021
Virtual Tour of the HRBT Expansion Project
The virtual tour of the HRBT Expansion Project includes the project history, comments from project stakeholders and a behind-the-scenes look at some of the technical innovations including the construction the 400-foot long, 4,000- ton tunnel boring machine, recently named “Mary” (after Mary Jackson, one of NASA’s “Hidden Figures”) as chosen through a contest among area middle schoolers.
05/7/2021
“Mary” The TBM, Drone Flyover
Join us at Herrenknect, the German company that designed and built “Mary”, the Tunnel Boring Machine that will build the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, new twin tunnels. Get a front row seat for a “view from the top.”
02/24/2021
She’s Big. She’s Bold. SHE HAS A NAME!
VDOT Announces the Name of the HRBT Expansion Project Tunnel Boring Machine.
NORFOLK, VA – The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced the top three finalists and the winning name selected for the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) at a virtual ceremony on Feb. 24, 2021.
In collaboration with the Hampton Roads Connector Partners (HRCP), VDOT held a contest to formally name the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) that will be used to construct the new twin two-lane bored tunnels west of the existing tunnels. The contest was launched in October and opened to all middle school students in Hampton Roads.
Student entries included posters, brochures, essays, and videos. Entries were judged on the name submitted and relevance to the project and community, as well as the creativity and presentation of the submission.
First Place was awarded to students from Saint Gregory the Great Catholic School – Team Sancti Potentes in Virginia Beach. The student team submitted a video in the style of a newscast featuring the TBM. The team presented the name “Mary” for Mary Jackson – mathematician and aerospace engineer at NASA, noted for her pioneering role of an African American woman in the field of science and engineering, and her crucial contributions to the NASA Space Program. Additionally, Mary Jackson was from Hampton, Virginia, which the students pointed out as one of their reasons for selecting Mary as the name for the HRBT Expansion Project TBM.
Second Place was awarded to students from Crittenden Middle School in Newport News who submitted the name “Mary” as a brochure entry.
Third Place was awarded to students from Hunter B. Andrews PreK-8 in Hampton who submitted the name “TEO” for The Emancipation Oak as a brochure entry.
The Tunnel Boring Machine is being manufactured in Germany and will be used to excavate and construct the tunnels for the expansion project. The TBM has a 46-foot diameter cutter head that will excavate through soil under the James River, while concrete liners are set in place. The TBM will be a key component in the HRBT Expansion Project – the largest infrastructure project in Virginia history.
According to Jim Utterback, VDOT Project Director, “Our team received so many excellent entries, and we are impressed with the students understanding of the project and the creativity of their submissions.”
Hampton Roads Connectors Partners Project Executive Jose Martin Alos added, “It’s wonderful to involve students in our vision and gain their participation. We hope to encourage those in the STEM curriculum to pursue their career goals.”
Traditionally, a TBM is named before it begins any work as a sign of good luck for the project ahead. TBMs have been historically named after a woman, because tunnellers looked to Saint Barbara, the patron saint for military engineers and miners, for protection.
The winning team and finalists were honored through a virtual announcement ceremony on February 24, 2021. The ceremony was live streamed on the project website www.hrbtexpansion.org. The presentation of awards included remarks from the HRBT Expansion Team, as well as the winning student team.
Second and third place finalists received certificates and recognition for their participation in the contest.
First place award winners received certificates and will be featured in the HRBT Expansion Magazine. They also have the honor of having the winning name “Mary” prominently displayed on the TBM.
11/19/2020
HRBT Expansion Project Featured on WAVY TV 10
10/29/2020
Virginia Launches Largest Infrastructure Project in Commonwealth’s History
HAMPTON—Governor Ralph Northam joined the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and state and local leaders to break ground on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) Expansion Project today. The $3.8 billion project will increase tunnel and interstate capacity along 9.9 miles of Interstate 64 between Hampton and Norfolk, reducing congestion and easing access to the Port of Virginia and the world’s largest Naval base.
“For too long, traffic in the Hampton Roads region has bottlenecked at the tunnel,” said Governor Ralph Northam. “Folks in this region deserve an easier, more reliable commute. This is the largest project in our history, and it will ensure that people can move around faster, that commerce flows more easily, and that we finally connect the Peninsula and the Southside. This project will make everyone’s lives easier when it is completed.”
“The world’s best designers, builders, engineers, and technology are converging here in Virginia to build your new tunnel,” said Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine. “We are bringing every asset to the table to give people what they may value most—time.”
Virginia crews will use a highly-specialized tunnel boring machine to dig through soil and construct tunnel segments simultaneously. The advanced technology is used in the construction of highly complex projects such as Manhattan’s Second Avenue Subway. The new HRBT is only the fourth roadway project to use this equipment in the United States. The machinery is under construction in Germany and is expected to arrive in Hampton Roads in 2021 for assembly, which will take several months. It is expected to begin tunneling operations in early 2022.
“VDOT is using this advanced boring technology for the first time ever,” said VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich. “We’re doing it because this is one of the nation’s most important maritime channels, and this technology means less disruption to military and commercial activity, and less impact on marine life.”
The project has received support from the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission (HRTAC), federal, and local partners. Design-build contractor Hampton Roads Connector Partners (HRCP) received Notice to Proceed for full construction activities in September. The project is expected to be completed in November 2025.
“The HRBT expansion project is a great example of how the legislature, VDOT, and HRTAC are working together to achieve a greater vision for transportation in Hampton Roads and provide solutions to bring the region out of gridlock,” said Kevin Page, HRTAC Executive Director.
A Project Administration and Funding Agreement with HRTAC first announced in April 2019 (click here to view event highlights) commits 92 percent of locally-sourced funding for the expansion. Additional financing includes $200 million from the Commonwealth’s SMART SCALE program and $108 million from VDOT.
In addition to alleviating congestion for motorists, the completed project will benefit tourism, the Port of Virginia, and the military—three critical industries in Hampton Roads. The expansion is projected to bolster the economic competitiveness of in Hampton Roads with more than $4.6 billion in investments and an estimated 28,000 new jobs over the life of the project.
The Commonwealth has worked to maximize the participation of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) and Small, Women-owned, and Minority-owned (SWaM) businesses across the Commonwealth on the performance of contracts for this historic project. More than 160 DBE and SWaM agreements have been executed so far as part of the project, representing more than $87 million in contract awards.
The HRBT Expansion Project will add twin, two-lane bored tunnels and widen the four-lane segments of Interstate 64 in Hampton between Settlers Landing Road and the Phoebus shoreline, and in Norfolk between the Willoughby shoreline and the I-564 interchange. More than 100,000 vehicles currently use this facility during peak travel periods.
State and regional leaders including Secretary of Transportation Valentine, VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich, Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck, Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander, Suffolk Mayor and HRTAC Chair Linda Johnson, and representatives from VDOT, HRTAC, and HRCP attended the social-distanced groundbreaking event with Governor Northam. Video of the groundbreaking ceremony is available here.
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Office of the Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia | P.O. Box 1475, Richmond, VA 23218
08/27/2020
HRBT Expansion Project Stakeholders Committee Meeting
On August 27, Project Director Jim Utterback led the third quarterly HRBT Expansion Project Stakeholders Committee (Virtual) Meeting. At this briefing, HRCP Project Executive José Martin Alos provided an update on current construction operations as well as projections for upcoming work this fall. Committee members also received updates on recent state and federal permits issued for the project; the success of the DBE/SWaM outreach and engagement activities with a goal of more than $300 million in awards throughout the project; and highlights on the upcoming TBM naming contest for middle school students in Hampton Roads.
Click HERE to view presentation.
08/11/2020
USACE Issues Permit for HRBT Expansion
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Norfolk District, on Tuesday August 11, 2020 formally issued a Department of the Army Permit #NAO 1994-1166 (VMRC permit number #19-1577, DEQ Individual Permit Number 19-1577) to Hampton Roads Connector Partners (HRCP) for the widening of Interstate 64 between Hampton and Norfolk (9.9 miles) and the construction of twin two-lane bored tunnels next to the existing HRBT. View the permit
USACE issues Section 408 Determination for HRBT Expansion Work
The Section 408 Determination evaluates Hampton Roads Connector Partners (HRCP) project design with respect to Federal navigation projects operated and maintained by the USACE, however, “the proposed construction does not impair the usefulness of the project, nor harm the public interest,” according to USACE. Read More
03/27/2020
The HRBT Expansion Project’s Bird Management Plan
The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) Expansion Project’s Bird Management Plan has been completed. This living document will be updated and revised as necessary to adapt to the needs of the Marine Colonial Birds. This plan will work in unison with larger efforts by the Commonwealth to address the needs of the Marine Colonial Birds. These efforts include extensive coordination between the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) – formerly known as the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries – as well as ongoing projects by DWR designed to provide alternative nesting habitat for these birds. (pictured below: seabirds relocated to Ft. Wool)
Preliminary construction work on the HRBT Expansion Project is underway at the South Island and seasonal nesting birds have made their return to the area as well. But this year, border collies are being used to coax the throngs of migratory birds to safer nesting grounds nearby. Click here to view the story. (pictured below: Border Collie to keep migratory birds at bay)
02/27/2020
HRBT Expansion Project Stakeholders Committee Meets
CHESAPEAKE, VA – The HRBT Expansion Project Stakeholders Committee convened for their first meeting at The Regional Office in Chesapeake, VA. The meeting, facilitated by Project Director, Jim Utterback, briefed the committee on the project timeline and updates.
12/17/2019
One more sign of project progress.
NORFOLK, VA – The official sign marking the location of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project Office is now up at 240 Corporate Boulevard in Norfolk. The HRBT Expansion Project is co-located with Hampton Roads Connector-Partners (HRCP-Design Builder) in the Norfolk, Va office building.
10/03/2019
Marine Borings Begin for HRBT Expansion
Public can expect to see large lift boats operating near current HRBT trestle bridges
NORFOLK, Va – Self-propelled lift boats will have a birds-eye view of the existing HRBT trestles for the next four months as they work to collect geotechnical samples to support the design of the new HRBT bridges, twin bored tunnels and island work.
Listen to discussions that explore funding, construction, employment opportunities, tunnel technology and its overall benefits to the Commonwealth of Virginia.
