December 2025 Edition

2025 has lived up to be the year we all had hoped at the HRBT Expansion Project. Impressive new structures have been opened to the traveling public, miles of interstate widening are well underway with many traffic shifts completed. Last, but not least, Mary completed her incredible journey and left her mark on Hampton Roads and Virginia history as mining operations came to a close.

The end of the calendar year brings celebrations with family, out of town travel, and a quick break from school for many of the region's families. As you enjoy time together here in Hampton Roads or elsewhere keep in mind fellow travelers who are not quite as familiar with our region and may be experiencing challenges answering the calls of "are we there yet?" from the back seat.

2025 was a momentous year for HRBT, but as we look forward to 2026 our work will be more evident than ever. Expect to see numerous buildings take shape on our islands, continued completion of roadway improvements, and numerous traffic pattern switches.

From all of us here at the HRBT Expansion Project, thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to relieve our region's most significant bottleneck. We look forward to sharing news of progress and reasons to celebrate in 2026.

Travel safe!

Thank you, 

Ryan Banas

Project Director

World Tunnel Day

World Tunnel Day is celebrated annually on December 4th around the world. This global celebration highlights the the engineering marvels and professionals who build the tunnels that connect our world, marking a day for knowledge sharing, community, and looking ahead to future underground innovations.

Appropriately, World Tunnel Day is celebrated simultaneously with the Feast of St. Barbara. As highlighted during the christening of Mary, St. Barbara is the patron of saint of tunnelers, miners, and artilleryman. Tunnelers around the world, regardless of faith or affiliation, celebrate in the annual tradition in hopes of receiving good luck as well as protection from the challenging environment they work in each day.   

Tunneling and Mary The Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) are a favorite topic at the HRBT Expansion Project’s bi-monthly Open House events at the Welcome Center. Plan to join our next discussion on December 30, 2025, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.  The Welcome Center is located at 9401 4th View Street, Norfolk, VA.

Mary and Katherine Prepare for Departure After Making Mining History

As home to the largest concentration of immersed tube tunnels in the world, Hampton Roads residents are no strangers to underwater tunnels. The HRBT Expansion Team is proud to add to the region's inventory of subterranean roadways, but this time with a twist.  

After two years of mining, Mary The Tunnel Boring Machine successfully constructed twin bored tunnels that will connect the region's coastal communities for the next century. Sand, silt, and shells aren't the only things the mammoth machine collected along her roundtrip journey between Norfolk and Hampton. Working in tandem with Katherine the Slurry Treatment Plant, Mary also logged a few records, making mining history in the region and around the world.

HRBT Tunnel Boring Records:

• Completion of Virginia's first bored tunnel for vehicular traffic
• Second largest TBM in North American history (46 ft)
• Largest slurry treatment plant in North American history (capable of handling 13,200 gallons per minute)
• Largest diameter and weight for a TBM rotated on a nitrogen sled (46 ft, 2,350 tons)
• Most rings installed in one week for a TBM of Mary's size (66 rings=440 ft)

The dynamic duo's work is complete with 2,388 concrete segments securely in place at a depth of more than 173 ft below the surface of the water. The machines' disassembly processes continue into 2026. HRBT's tunnel boring experts anticipate that it will take crews until March to dismantle the mega machines.

Just like the process to lift the cutterhead, crews weld lifting eyes onto segments of the TBM shield so they can be removed by crane.

Behind Mary's shield, disassembly is ongoing. Crews have disconnected the machine's trailing gantries which house critical equipment and utilities. During boring, the gantries were attached to the shield by a hitch pin which allowed Mary to pull the gantries along like railroad cars.

Above ground on South Island, TBM disassembly crews work to remove the cutterhead's wear plates before separating the 500-ton piece into smaller sections for shipping. Not far from where Mary rests, Katherine The Slurry Treatment Plant is hard to recognize. Most of the plant's conveyors used to carry excavations through the filtering process have been removed along with the filter press building.

November arrived with the opening of the new South Trestle Bridge spanning between the HRBT's South Island and Norfolk shoreline. In this edition of HRBT Tunnel Talk VDOT's Project Director, Ryan Banas, and Deputy Construction Manager, Dan Lord, explain how the new structure differs from those previously built for the crossing.

Making the Connection

Expansion work on South Island (pictured above) and bridge construction on the new North Trestle westbound (pictured below) are key components in continuing construction across the project.

Two new eastbound tunnels will eventually link to the new South Trestle superstructure. But making the connection requires an expansion of the HRBT South Island.

While tunneling and South Trestle construction were underway, marine crews have driven more than 416 concrete piles deep into the harbor's soil in an effort to support the new roadway and island expansion necessary to connect the tunnels and new bridge.

At the North Trestle Westbound, 35 concrete spans have been poured for the new bridge, an additional seven will be set, along with nine more deck spans to be poured before traffic can be shifted to the new bridge in summer 2026.

North Trestle Westbound December 2025

Going Up and Coming Down

Existing North Trestle Eastbound (Hampton)-Eleven of 42 spans at the former North Trestle Eastbound (Hampton) have been removed to make room for new structures. 

Existing South Trestle Eastbound (Norfolk)-work is underway to dismantle 16 spans to make way for final completion of the new South Trestle which will carry 8 lanes total (4 eastbound and 4 westbound lanes) when completed. 

Demolition work is underway on the structures that served Hampton Roads motorists for more than 50 years. At the same time, crews work to connect the next South Trestle to the existing westbound tunnels. Phasing to make these connection points is one of the most challenging aspects of the expansion project.

Tunnel Interior

While Mary the Tunnel Boring Machine was the driving force behind tunneling operations, build out of the new tunnels has required a team effort.

Approximately 60 crew members work underground, installing rebar, pouring concrete, placing ballast to form the future roadway, and preparing for installation of the tunnel’s drainage system.

In the high occupancy tunnel (HT), egress corridor walls are nearing completion, marking a major turning point in construction. Crews are now able to shift efforts to roadway barriers as well as installation of the tunnel's fireproofing and fire protection systems.  

In the general purpose tunnel (GP), Mary's disassembly continues. Crews are hard at work removing the 22-inch slurry pipes that connected Mary the tunnel boring machine to Katherine, the project's slurry treatment plant.  



While significant progress had been made, much more work still lies ahead. Systems for lighting, communication, and ventilation will start taking shape over the coming months.  

As interior tunnel walls reach completion in the HT tunnel, crews begin to perform fire board mock up testing.

Crews work to wrap up egress corridor walls in the HT tunnel before focusing efforts in the GP tunnel. 

Project Myth & Fact

The doors of the HRBT Welcome Center officially opened to the public on December 4, 2024. A year later, the information hub is still buzzing with excitement about doubling travel capacity at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and along the adjoining interstate.

Expansion staff hosted more than 1,600 visitors in the past year. A variety of patrons have learned more about the project, including local residents, members of civic leagues, out-of-town tunnel enthusiasts, LOVEwork sign chasers, students, scouts and more. Their interests varied from learning about the TBM's components from a 10-foot display model, to viewing prehistoric mastodon bones collected during excavation.

Staff from across the project pitched in to share their professional expertise through presentations and student workshops. Visitors left with a better understanding of the project and appreciation of the work involved to complete the 10-mile corridor improvements.

Seatack Elementary School (Virginia Beach)

Williamsburg Classical Academy (Peninsula)

The HRBT Expansion is designed to enhance regional connectivity. The Welcome Center exhibits also connect visitors to Hampton Roads history, promote regional pride and bridge the gap between the region's past and future.

Join the conversation and the community of ambassadors cheering on the team of professionals working daily to deliver safe, reliable, and resilient infrastructure to last for generations at our bi-monthly open houses.

Tunnel enthusiasts (father and son) kicked off the holiday season at the HRBT Welcome Center Open House on November 19th.

The next HRBT Open House will be Wednesday, December 30th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m at 9401 4th View St Norfolk, VA 23503.

For upcoming dates, visit hrbtexpansion.org.

For many engineers, work is defined by calculations, contracts, and construction schedules. Isaac Walker, Resident Engineer for HRBT's marine construction, says success on the trestles and island expansion doesn’t rely solely on technical knowledge. Partnerships, he says, is the real key to opening the region's newest marine crossings.

Walker describes his role as the Department's “face of marine construction.” He leads a team of engineers and construction inspectors tasked with contractor oversight and ensures the completed project aligns with appropriate standards.

Despite being in the middle of the harbor, one of the most challenging aspects of the HRBT's marine work is coexisting with the 100,000+ motorists on a daily basis. Tight access between existing bridges, equipment deliveries in confined spaces, and marine conditions that shift with wind and tides all add layers of complexity to the planning process. Walker approaches these challenges with a collaborative mindset. By making consistent decisions, setting clear expectations, and showing appreciation for the team’s efforts, he helps maintain the communication and morale that yields high-quality work. Although his responsibilities focus on the trestles and islands, he works closely with designers, schedulers, and other area staff to anticipate unique challenges of building over water.

His ability to think ahead is rooted in years of observation, study, and real-world experience. Raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he inherited an appreciation for building from his father who was a carpenter. Early projects like helping build furniture and sheds sparked his curiosity about how large structures like stadiums are formed. His mother and grandfather, both mechanical engineers, further influenced his path. Walker began at North Carolina State University as a mechanical engineering major but shifted to civil engineering with a concentration in structures, hoping to one day build the type of impressive structures that inspired him as a child.

As a student, he gained experience analyzing and inspecting cell towers, followed by his first engineering job as a surveyor. These opportunities helped him narrow his post-graduation employment search to field work and inspection. At a campus career fair, he discovered his current company, RS&H, accepted a position before graduation, and was sent to Austin, Texas to work on a $750 million design-build project. He spent five years there honing the skills that prepared him for the $3.9 billion HRBT Expansion.  

Arriving in Hampton Roads just as test pile driving began, Walker has watched trestle construction progress from the ground up. That long-term involvement gives him a full scope of knowledge and an important perspective on how each decision influences the next.

Outside of work, Walker is an ultramarathon runner (more than 26 miles), woodworker, fisherman, and part-time mechanic for his 1986 Toyota pickup. He and his wife live in Virginia Beach with their two young children, and he is already encouraging engineering curiosity at home—whether they’re building toy structures or exploring the garden. He hopes to spark the same sense of wonder for his children that ignited his own passion for engineering.

The HRBT Expansion Project received a 2025 PRSA Pinnacle BEST IN SHOW Award in the Events and Awards category for opening of the HRBT Welcome Center.

HRBT Expansion Project Communications Director Paula Miller receives the 2025 Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS-Hampton Roads) Woman of the Year Award on Nov. 12, 2025 in Virginia Beach.

Traveling with others this holiday season? Give yourself the gift of toll-free driving in the Hampton Roads Express Lanes by getting an E-ZPass Flex transponder. Whether you’ll be using the future Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Express Lanes once they’re completed or the Chesapeake and Norfolk Reversible Express Lanes operational now, the E-ZPass Flex transponder is required for vehicles with two or more occupants (HOV-2) to be able to travel toll-free.  

An E-ZPass transponder is required for all vehicles using the Hampton Roads Express Lanes. While solo drivers may use either the standard E-ZPass transponder or the E-ZPass Flex to pay the dynamic toll to use the Express Lanes, the E-ZPass Flex transponder is the only version that includes the necessary switch to flip to “HOV-On” to use the Express Lanes toll-free when traveling with two or more occupants. The transponder works the same as a standard E-ZPass on all other roads. 

To get an E-ZPass Flex transponder or to exchange your standard E-ZPass for an E-ZPass Flex, visit ezpassva.com, call 1-877-762-7824, or visit an E-ZPass Customer Service Center for more information. When exchanging for an E-ZPass Flex, you will have to return your current transponder by mailing it or dropping it off at an E-ZPass Customer Service Center. New customers can also pick up an E-ZPass transponder through participating retailers, found at www.ezpassva.com/locations. 

As for the E-ZPass itself, there is no cost for the transponder. The $35 you pay for an E-ZPass On-the-Go is entirely credited to your E-ZPass account to cover future tolls, with $15 immediately available for use in Virginia. There are no additional fees for the transponder beyond what is used for tolls, and for drivers who meet the HOV-2 occupancy requirements, the Express Lanes remain toll-free with an E-ZPass Flex. For more information on E-ZPass, visit https://www.ezpassva.com/about. 

To learn more about the Hampton Roads Express Lanes network, visit www.64expresslanes.org.