May 2026 Edition

• Summer has started! That means more to us here in Hampton Roads than just hot days and more time at the beach. Memorial Day marks the official start of tourist season in the region where thousands of vacationers flock to enjoy the Chesapeake Bay lifestyle for a few days. 

When we consider where our project was last fall when tourist season ended, it’s easy to appreciate why so many visitors will find numerous things competing for their attention. It’s not just the billboards and blue skies they’ll be turning their heads for, it’s also the amazing progress that has been made at the HRBT Expansion Project. 

The team here at the HRBT Expansion will continue to do our best to keep construction moving through the summer months. Lane closure hours have been trimmed back, crews are dialed in, and, this season, we’re prepared to make our biggest push yet. We ask all of those who call Hampton Roads home to be good examples for our summer guests; put down your phones, drive the speed limit, and focus on the road!

Also, don’t forget to be ever-vigilant for Hamptons Roads' smallest residents who will soon take a break from their school books. Whether learning to ride their bike, chasing a ball into the street, or hailing down the ice cream truck, their attention isn’t always focused, so we need yours to be! 

Drive safe,

Ryan

Underwater Concrete Pours Connect South Island to South Trestle

Construction on the South Island Expansion is approaching completion of the newest and final section of the man‑made island. This highly coordinated phase of the project involves multiple specialized teams responsible for dredging, pile driving, installing temporary structures, and placing concrete. While these activities are common along the corridor, performing them in a marine environment adds an extra layer of engineering complexity.

As the marine team prepares to build the ramp to connect the island to the eastbound section of the eight-lane mega trestle, South Island Expansion crews are completing critical work below the waterline, not visible from the roadway, but essential to creating a stable foundation for the future ramp.

With pile driving for the island expansion now complete, crews focus on constructing a series of underwater tremie slabs, each supported by the newly installed piles. These pours are unique because they use a specially formulated concrete designed to achieve the compressive strength of standard concrete, even underwater.

So far, approximately 2,500 cubic yards of concrete have been placed for these tremie slabs, with several more pours remaining. Once the underwater foundation work is finished, marine crews will hand the structures off to the South Island team, bringing the project one step closer to completing a major link in the overall bridge structure.

Professional divers remain on standby to monitor underwater concrete levels while contractor crews perform pours overnight for up to twelve hours at a time.

Recycled Bridge Piles Make Their Way to Chesapeake Bay Artificial Reef

With oversight from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the HRBT Expansion Project Team is converting deconstructed bridges into marine life habitats. Concrete girders, caps, piles, slabs, and parapets from the existing North and South Trestles are being placed at existing artificial reefs, starting at Bluefish Rock Reef nearly five miles offshore from Buckroe Beach in Hampton.

Artificial Reef Myth vs. Fact

Graduating Seniors Reflect on Winning Hampton Roads TBM Naming Contest

In 2020, the HRBT Expansion project invited middle school students from across Hampton Roads to compete to name the nearly 10-million-pound tunnel boring machine (TBM) that would build the Commonwealth's unique underwater bored tunnels. A newscast style video from seventh and eighth grade students at Saint Gregory the Great Catholic School in Virginia Beach was selected among dozens of submissions. They successfully and creatively pitched the name "Mary" in honor of Hampton Roads native and NASA engineer Mary Winston Jackson.

This spring, HRBT Expansion Project Communications Director Paula Miller caught up with three students from the winning team just weeks ahead of their graduation from Catholic High School in Virginia Beach.

See the full story at bit.ly/3PK4aiq.

Seventh and eighth grade students from Saint Gregory the Great Catholic School celebrate their winning submission for the HRBT Expansion tunnel boring machine naming contest in 2021.

Three graduating seniors from Catholic High School reflect on their contributions to naming Mary the Tunnel Boring Machine, the mega-tool responsible for building Virginia's first ever bored tunnels.

New Tunnels, New Interior Look

In addition to safety egress corridors and large overhead jet fans, motorists will also notice the new HRBT twin tunnels will have a two-tone look when driving through each of the mile-and-a-half-long tubes.

Unlike the existing tunnels, there will be no tile finish. The ceiling and walls will be covered with fire protection boards, designed to prevent damage to the concrete tunnel structure in the event of a fire. These calcium silicate boards are slightly more than one inch thick with a protective coating applied to all sides.  The fire boards will be coated black on the tunnel ceilings and upper portions of the walls that extend more than 16 feet above the roadway. The fire boards on the lower portions of the tunnel walls will be coated with a lighter magnolia color to provide the necessary reflectance for tunnel lighting. Stainless steel anchor bolts affix each of the 2-foot by 8-foot fire boards directly to the concrete tunnel structure.



Tunnel crews are currently in the process of installing fire boards in the high-occupancy (HT) Tunnel, and once they complete the work, they’ll begin a similar installation in the general purpose (GP) Tunnel.

Crews inspect mock up of fire board installation for ceiling and tunnel walls.

Walls of both tunnels will be magnolia color.

The Evolution of HRBT's Tunnel Approaches Continues

Crews prepare the North Island approach for construction of the roadway slab leading into the new eastbound tunnels.

Demolition of the TBM receiving cradle nears completion on South Island.

Landside Girders, Piles, & Decks Progress

Bridge work on HRBT's twenty landside structures is progressing above and below the view of the traveling public throughout the project corridor.

With the majority of the eastbound expansion work complete, rehab work is underway on parts of Willoughby Bay Bridge to increase the lifespan of the structure built in the 1970's. On the westbound side of the bridge, the new widened portion of the structure is taking shape as deck pans and rebar are outlining the many decks to be poured this summer.  

Evans, Bayview, Mason Creek and 1st View bridges have new decks in place with parapets, link slabs and other superstructure elements following quickly behind. Bay Avenue and Oastes Creek still require work below the surface, including pile driving, cap and girder placement and pile jacket installation. At Patrol Road, the project's terminus in Norfolk, westbound girders have been installed, allowing for deck placement to advance.

Crews installed the last girder for new lanes on

I-64 west at Patrol Road in early May.

Soundwalls compliment new structures to minimize noise impacts.

Construction of landside bridges can sometimes require crews to get wet. In the photo above, crews install pile jackets at the base of Oastes Creek Bridge.

Former Construction Engineer for Tunnels Takes on New Heights

Dave Brown, Resident Engineer, Area 5

A trusted member of the HRBT Expansion Team since March 2020, Dave Brown oversees the installation of project‑wide utilities on the HRBT Expansion. Born and raised in Maine, Brown developed an early appreciation for large structures, especially bridges. Although he didn’t initially plan to become an engineer, following his interests and leaning into his strengths in science, math, and problem‑solving set him on a clear path to his current career.

After earning a civil engineering degree from the University of Maine, Brown’s passion quickly evolved into an exciting career. Hired by a general contractor right out of college, he left his slow‑paced hometown to work on a bridge project in New York City where he gained extensive field experience. Brown brought that expertise to his next job in Hampton Roads as a backfill tunnel engineer on the Midtown Tunnel project. His next position took him more than 1,700 miles across the country to a design-build project in Denver for the Central 70 Highway, Colorado's largest transportation project at the time.

The project proved to be timely preparation for his next big responsibility: HRBT Expansion. Serving first as the Lead Construction Engineer for the islands, portals, and tunnel interiors, Brown oversaw the build‑out of the new bored tunnels. His leadership supported construction of critical permanent structures, including the high‑occupancy tunnel’s (HT) egress and plenum walls, placement of the future roadway’s base fill, the low‑point pump stations, and the early stages of fire‑safety feature installation and drainage systems.

With five years of earned management experience, Brown was promoted to Resident Engineer for Area 5, which encompasses project utilities and Intelligent Transportation Systems from one end of the project to the other. In his new role, Brown provides oversight for the installation of lighting, power distribution, overhead signs, landside utilities, and bridge utility work. It’s a major shift from his previous responsibilities, requiring project‑wide coordination, but he has welcomed the challenge with open arms.

At work, Brown focuses on ensuring that VDOT standards and design specifications are met, daily. Outside the office, he enjoys golfing with fellow HRBT Expansion staff, pick‑up sports like ultimate frisbee, hiking with his dog, and enjoying newlywed life with his wife, Elizabeth. When his work on the HRBT Expansion is complete, Brown says he’ll be on the lookout for a smaller project in a scenic place where his family can plant roots.

Utility crews are responsible for 46 new sign structures being installed along the project corridor. The overhead frameworks support static signs, lane use signals, flashing signals, over height vehicle detectors, digital message signs, cameras, and variable speed limit signs.

Second only to ensuring the safe, high‑quality construction of HRBT's new bridges, tunnels, and roadways, and the teams' personal safety, keeping the public informed remains the project's top priority. During the month of May, staff connected with stakeholders, community members, and local scholars including the East Ocean View Civic League, fifth‑ through eighth‑grade participants at the Joint Base Langley‑Eustis STEM event at Hampton Coliseum, and guests attending the May 2026 Open House.

At first glance, it would be very reasonable to arrive at the conclusion that Virginia and Panama have little in common. Distinct cultures, differing climates, and Virginia having nearly double the population of the entire country of Panama. But these differences are easily overcome by the one similarity; robust maritime industries that serve as central hubs of commerce. 

Earlier this month, in partnership with regional hosts from Virginia International Gateway, visitors from the Panama Canal Authority learned about the generational investment being made in Virginia by the Commonwealth, including the Port and US Army Corps of Engineers. Visitors were given a briefing about the HRBT Expansion, the more than $5B in regional funding being administered by the Hampton Roads Accountability Commission (HRTAC), and the fast approaching Hampton Roads Express Lanes Network. Guest learned about the regional significance the HRBT plays in the movement of cargo into, out of, and across the region as well as the national role the HRBT takes in providing safe, secure access to the Naval Station Norfolk. 

The group was welcomed by VDOT Hampton Roads District Engineer Mike Davis, prior to a briefing by Project Director Ryan Banas and a tour spearheaded by Assistant Project Director Bradley Weidenhammer. The tour provided a unique deep dive into the cutting edge technology used to construct the project’s new tunnels while also being considerate of the region’s maritime industry. 

Hampton Roads regional leaders, led by Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) Executive Director Bob Crum, got an up-close look at HRBT Expansion progress during a tour of the South Island on May 14. Their visit included a walk into the High Occupancy (HT) Tunnel, an onsite briefing from the Bird Management Team and an explanation from a dog handler about the role herding dogs have in discouraging birds from landing on the construction site. VDOT Hampton Roads District Engineer Mike Davis offered welcoming remarks at the HRBT Welcome Center and Project Director Ryan Banas also kicked off their visit with a project overview.

Members of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)-Hampton Roads Chapter had a front row seat at the Welcome Center on May 13, 2026 for a lunch and learn session about the HRBT Expansion Project.



In addition to a project overview from Project Director Ryan Banas, attendees learned about the role of the Bird Management Team from Environmental Scientist Sara McMahen and how dogs work the construction site to keep birds at bay. Possum and her handler Sophia were a hit during the presentation.

It may not look like a sanctuary to humans, but for thousands of colonial nesting and migratory birds, three barges in the bay have proven to be perfectly acceptable accommodations for the summer season.  The barges arrived this month near Ft. Wool and are anchored in place until September when the feathery flocks make a beeline for their wintering grounds. This is the seventh year the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) has overseen the deployment of barges adjacent to the HRBT Expansion site to discourage birds from landing near constructions areas. The barges supplement nearby nesting grounds at Ft. Wool which was previously cleared to also attract the throngs of birds away from their previous homes on South Island.  DWR is currently working with the Army Corps of Engineers on constructing a permanent offshore seasonal site for the birds in Hampton once the project is complete.

Motorists traveling on I-64 in Hampton, Newport News and Norfolk can expect new traffic patterns as Hampton Roads Express Lanes construction continues this summer.

In Hampton, crews recently implemented a new long-term traffic shift on I-64 west near Hampton Roads Center Parkway (exit 261) as part of bridge rehabilitation work. Travel lanes are currently reduced from four to three and traffic has shifted toward the outside of the roadway. Once this phase is complete, the single-lane closure will switch to the outside lane and traffic will shift toward the inside. This lane reduction and traffic shift is expected to remain in place through fall 2026.

Across the HRBT in Norfolk near Tidewater Drive (exits 277A and 277B), eastbound I-64 traffic is scheduled to be split around the work zone beginning as early as the end of May to facilitate bridge rehabilitation. The split is expected to remain in place for approximately six weeks through summer 2026.

To learn more about the Hampton Roads Express Lanes projects and to view the interactive long-term traffic impacts map, visit 64expresslanes.org.