January 2025 Edition

New Year, New Milestones

The new year is expected to produce significant progress for the HRBT Expansion Project, including the completion of the second bored tunnel and the opening of the South Trestle superstructure, to name just two.



Additionally, we expect to open newly constructed portions of roadway in Norfolk as the first significant phases of roadway construction wrap up. Needless to say, 2025 will be our biggest year for the traveling public yet. 

We encourage you to stay tuned and keep an eye out for upcoming traffic shifts, coverage of our most interesting topics, as well as opportunities to visit the project’s welcome center in Norfolk.

In the meantime, we continue to ask for your patience as you bear witness to our progress. Looking for a new year’s resolution you can keep? We’ve got an easy one that can improve commute times and save lives; put down your phones, focus on the road, and drive safe!

May each of you have a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Mary Resumes Mining After Brief Break

Following her October 2024 relaunch to start boring HRBT's newest eastbound tunnel, Mary The Tunnel Boring Machine spent the fall and early part of winter installing the first 107 permanent rings. Then in December, she had a three-week stand down to reconfigure parts of the North Island pit where Mary and her trailing gantries made their big U-turn last summer.

The reconfiguration rearranged Cells 1 and 2 to support Mary's second mining operation. Crews removed the thrust frame work and seven steel rings used to transfer the force created to drive the 4700-ton TBM forward and into the ground.

A crane lifts the steel frame used to transfer the thrust force from the temporary rings into the concrete base slab.

The seal which helped maintain the pressure in front of the TBM to prevent the ground from collapsing during mining was also removed. With Mary well on her way, crews were able to remove the "umbilicals". This combination of flexible hoses and piping helped transfer the utilities (water, air, cooling circuit, dewatering, grout) that the TBM needs to operate.

Crews remove the starter seal used to create face pressure and prevent the ground from settling at the front of the TBM.

The temporary steel rings required to launch the machine are removed as tunnel boring progressed.

Now that Mary is completely underground, crews can demolish part of the gantry cradle and create the temporary ramp needed to deliver tunnel segments inside the newest tunnel. Also on North Island, the Tunnel Approach Struture (TAS) team now has space to begin working on the tunnels' approach structure.

Mary the Tunnel Boring Machine resumed operations on January 9, 2025 on the last leg of her trip to South Island.

Interior Tunnel Crews Press On

Even though the tunnel boring operations were temporarily paused, interior tunnel crews were hard at work advancing the interior construction for the first of the twin tunnels.

A key focus entering the new year was construction of the L-wall, which will form part of the tunnel's pedestrian emergency exit. Crews made record progress in December, fabricating 180 linear feet of L-wall in just one week.

Building each section of the wall is a multi-step process that relies on the efficiency of the specialized crew and a formwork traveler. First, crews use the machine's gantry system to move it along the tunnel on rails. Once in place, crews fill the steel structure with concrete, allow it to cure, and then release the newly formed section to begin the next. To maintain steady progress, two formwork travelers are at work underground, allowing crews to work on one section while another cures.

HRCP uses the formwork traveler to form, cure, and set concrete in place for the tunnel's L-wall.

With over 250 concrete pours planned between both tunnels just for the L-walls, frequent pours will continue, along with the installation of the remaining cement-treated ballast to complete the roadway's base layer.

Next, crews will install drainage lines and inlet structures to support the roadway followed by an additional 18 inches of cement-based material that will form the foundation immediately beneath the future roadway.

While crews make steady progress in the first newly bored tunnel, the construction is already well underway in the twin tube. As of Mary’s 2025 startup, the TBM was more than 770 feet into her second mission. After she reaches 1,000 feet, crews will be right behind her to begin phase one of ballast placement.

(Right) Precast concrete deck panels that will form the roof of the low point pump station in the tunnel arrive for installation.

(Above) As the L-wall continues to take shape, crews have begun using the traveler machine to construct the plenum wall (above the L-wall) which will be visible to motorists traveling through the tunnel.

HRBT Tunnel Talk Podcast: Barges, Tugs, Boats & Bridges

Boats, tugs, barges, bridges and more! Managing marine works at the HRBT Expansion project is the topic of our latest HRBT Tunnel Talk segment. The podcast explores the importance of local knowledge on the project, and we share the vast experience our team members bring to it, from landmark projects like the Midtown Tunnel and post-9/11 debris removal at the World Trade Center. We also discuss the significance of safety, environmental protections, and the unique challenges of working in the Hampton Roads area. Tune in as we uncover the behind-the-scenes efforts ensuring that this monumental project not only progresses smoothly, but also upholds the highest standards of quality and safety.

Beam Launcher Installs Its Last Planned Girder on the New North Trestle

There’s more than one way to build a bridge, and with limited space between HRBT’s existing marine north trestles, project engineers had to use innovative solutions to construct the new North Trestle without impacts to traffic. The answer: The Beam Launcher.

Propelled by the dedication, expertise, and teamwork of its international crew, the beam launcher reached a critical marine milestone in December 2024. After successfully setting 91 planned girders, the beam launcher will be repositioned to install a few finals girders before the next phase of the trestle construction begins.

South Island Crane Operator Has Unique Perspective on Expansion Project

The HRBT Expansion Team invites visitors of all ages to learn about the project that's transforming Hampton Roads at the next Welcome Center open house at 9401 4th View Street on Monday, January 20, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Unlock some of the region's ancient history through fossils found buried below the sea floor during excavation. Discover the unique landscape that makes Hampton Roads home to the largest collection of underwater roadway tunnels in the country. Finally, see the models, Mary and Katherine, custom built for the construction of Virginia's first bored roadway tunnel.

Open house guests gather around a model of Mary The Tunnel Boring Machine on January 5, 2025 to learn how the full-size version uses concrete segments to form the new tunnel.

STEM, a Steppingstone to Success

Pa Ousman Njie, VDOT Consultant Constuction Engineer

Pa Ousman Njie, a VDOT Consultant Construction Engineer for the HRBT Expansion Project started his journey into the world of engineering as a high school student in Gambia, West Africa. His interest in math and curiosity for problem solving sparked an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that has paved his way from an undergraduate degree in architecture, where he was first introduced to engineering drawings and structural calculations, to earning his Professional Engineers (PE) licensure in January 2025.

Along the way to his current role, where he helps oversee quality assurance and adherence to design specifications and VDOT standards, Njie has remained committed to broadening his knowledge in construction engineering and project management.

Following on-the-job experience as a field engineer in Taiwan, earning master’s degrees in both construction management and civil engineering, and successfully completing the internship that would lead him to the HRBT Expansion, he hasn’t stopped learning yet.



Like many of the other international professionals who proudly serve on the HRBT Expansion Team, Njie brings technical expertise, global perspective, and determination to leave his mark on sustainable infrastructure built to stand the test of time.

The HRBT Expansion Project Team is proud to congratulate Njie on his achievement. We wish him continued success!

After an extraordinary year of tunneling achievements—highlighted by Mary’s record-breaking feat of installing 17 rings in a single day, the memorable tunnel boring machine breakout, and the innovative nitrogen-assisted U-turn of Mary's cutterhead—the HRBT Expansion Project took to the stage at the Underground Construction Association’s George A. Fox 25th Anniversary Conference on January 7, 2025.

This prestigious annual event brought together hundreds of industry professionals eager to gain insights from engineers leading some of the most complex underground construction projects currently underway.

HRBT Project Director Ryan Banas and HRCP Project Executive Juan Miguel Perez represented HRBT's world-class team, sharing strategies that drive the $3.9 billion, 10-mile interstate transformation toward completion.

Starting as early as late January, contractor crews with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) are scheduled to implement a new traffic pattern on I-64 west, between Tidewater Drive (exit 277) and Patrol Road in Norfolk to support bridge rehabilitation work on the Granby Street and East Little Creek Road overpasses, as part of construction for the first phase of the Hampton Roads Express Lanes (HREL) Norfolk Segment.

Under this roadway configuration, one I-64 west mainline lane will be closed near East Little Creek Road (exit 276C) until late 2025. However, for motorists traveling west toward the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT), a new, temporary general purpose lane will open alongside the existing Norfolk Reversible Express Lanes roadway as an alternate lane for I-64 west traffic. This lane, which will ultimately become a westbound Express Lane in the future, will be accessed from a newly constructed left entrance ramp after Tidewater Drive (exit 277) and before Little Creek Road (exit 276C). Concrete barriers will be in place separating the Express Lanes traffic from this new alternate lane.



Motorists using the new alternate lane will only be able to exit at the Reversible Express Lanes exit to I-64 west after Granby Street. This lane will not have access to the East Little Creek Road, I-564 or Granby Street exits (exits 276 A/B/C). One I-64 west through lane will remain open along the existing mainline and will provide access to all exits along I-64 west. The two additional lanes on I-64 west leading to I-564 will remain unchanged in their current configuration.

The new I-64 west alternate lane will merge back into the I-64 west mainline past Patrol Road and continue west toward the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT).

This road configuration is scheduled to be implemented over a series of nights starting as early as the week of Jan. 27, which will include additional overnight alternating lane and ramp closures to finalize this long-term traffic pattern.

The Reversible Express Lanes will continue to operate as normal during this new traffic pattern, which is estimated to be in place through fall 2025.

To learn more about the HREL Norfolk Segment, visit https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/projects/major-projects/64expresslanes/about-hrel/norfolk-segment-1a/.