HAMPTON, VA – The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) Expansion Project achieved a major milestone today with the arrival of Mary the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) at the North Island. 

“The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel made history in 1957 as the world’s first tunnel constructed between two man-made islands,” said VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich. “Today, the HRBT makes history again as Virginia’s first bored tunnel. With the breakout of the TBM, we are one step closer to the completion of this transformative project that will increase capacity at one of the region’s most congested corridors.”

In addition to being Virginia’s first bored roadway tunnel, the new tunnel is only the third in the United States. The TBM launched from the South Island (Norfolk side) in April 2023. Mary excavated 7,900 feet, roughly 750,000 cubic yards of soil, while simultaneously installing 1,191 concrete rings behind her to form the new tunnel. On her best day, Mary excavated 113 feet of soil and installed 17 rings. 



It is tradition to name TBMs after females to honor Saint Barbara, the patron saint of miners and underground construction. Viewed as a rite of passage for a TBM, it is thought to bring good luck to the project and safety for its workers. The HRBT Expansion Project’s TBM was named Mary after NASA engineer Mary Winston Jackson by Hampton Roads middle school students. 

Custom-built for the HRBT Expansion Project, the variable density TBM measures 46 feet in diameter and 430 feet in length. This cutting-edge technology made it possible to use the bored method to construct the new tunnels in the soft soils common in the Hampton Roads region. The new tunnel is approximately 50 feet deeper than the existing tunnels with its deepest point 173 feet below the water’s surface. All other tunnels in Hampton Roads have been constructed using the immersed tube approach. 

At $3.9 billion, the HRBT Expansion Project is the largest highway construction project in Virginia history. The Hampton Roads Accountability Commission (HRTAC) is funding 92% of the project, which is being financed through regional sales and gas taxes. 

HRTAC Executive Director Kevin Page said, “This historic milestone is the culmination of years of transformational transportation congestion relief planning and hard work. Today’s first tunnel breakout is a testament to HRTAC and VDOT working together to realize a greater vision for Hampton Roads. Once completed, the HRBT and I-64 congestion relief projects financed and delivered through the HRTAC, VDOT, and FHWA partnership will enhance the economic vitality and quality of life for the Region’s 1.7 million people for generations.”

Now that Mary has reached the North Island, she will be repositioned for her return trip, which will take up to six months to turn her around and position her for relaunch. She will then build a parallel tunnel back to the South Island. 

The HRBT Expansion Project features the widening of Interstate 64 from Hampton to Norfolk, including the new twin, two-lane bored tunnels, five new bridges, and 20 widened bridges. In addition to alleviating congestion for motorists, the completed project will benefit multiple critical industries in the Hampton Roads region. More than $4.6 billion in economic impact and 28,000 jobs are expected to be created over the life of the project. The project also provides opportunities for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) and Small, Women-owned, and Minority-owned (SWaM) businesses across the Commonwealth. To date, more than 358 DBE and SWaM agreements have been executed as part of the project, representing more than $550 million in contract awards. 

For more details, visit HRBTExpansion.org.

Click for TBM Project Footage. Please credit VDOT HRBT Expansion Project if you use any footage provided.

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