A Message from Project Leadership
Ryan Banas, Project Director
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Autumn is a great time in Hampton Roads with the cool temperatures and the scenic changing of the leaves, but this fall is even more special as Mary The Tunnel Boring Machine is back to work creating the second tunnel at the HRBT Expansion Project. Crews spent the entire summer working to turn Mary 180 degrees, performing maintenance tasks, and preparing for the second tunnel.
Significant progress can be seen across the project corridor in addition to our readying of Mary. Demolition is well underway at the Mallory Street bridge, the beam launcher continues its work between North Island and Hampton, and barrier walls and joints are being completed on the new eight-lane South Trestle. Most notably is the increase in roadway work in Norfolk between Willoughby Spit and Patrol Road. Crews have made great strides in subgrade, drainage, and retaining wall construction throughout. Finally, many of the Norfolk corridor's overpasses are reaching the final stretch of their initial widening for I-64 eastbound.
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As you traverse the corridor and take notice of the many accomplishments of the last month don't forget to keep your eyes on the road! More than 2,000 employees come to the HRBT Expansion project each day; we ask everyone to drive carefully so they can make it home from work each day safely.
Drive safe,
Ryan Banas 🍂
Project Director
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Phase 2 of the Mallory Street Bridge replacement continues into the fall with demolition of the existing bridge. Demo is expected to complete before the end of the year. | |
Back to Boring: The Road to South Island, Mary's Second Bore | |
Mary the TBM
The months long process to move the TBM from the first tunnel in preparation for beginning the second tunnel has finally completed. The process involved disconnecting, lifting, lowering, and reconnecting gantries, validating installation and connections, energizing, testing, and commissioning, as well as performing required maintenance tasks to make sure Mary was ready to bore.
Every function was put through rigorous testing regimes. From her hydraulic systems used to propel the machine forward, the vacuum system used to erect concrete segments, to the cutterhead, main drive and electronic control circuits, each component must operate flawlessly before Mary gets the green light.
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Mary passed all her exams and on October 17, 2024, began the process of cutting out another tunnel beneath the Hampton Roads Harbor Channel. With the cutterhead in motion, and all the supporting facilities operating, it is only a matter of time before Mary finds the sunlight again at the South Island.
Click here to learn more about Mary's next journey.
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Katherine the STP
We can’t forget about Katherine! The Slurry Treatment Plant, named after pioneering NASA mathmetician Katherine Johnson, was also refurbished this summer in preparation for mining operations. All tanks and cyclones have been emptied and thoroughly cleaned, while the filter presses got a deep power wash. Crews on South Island replaced worn parts and performed essential maintenance on the conveyor, motors and pumps by changing seals, and lubricating rotating parts.
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While the STP will remain on South Island, the bicomponent plant (photographed below) where grout for the TBM is produced, along with the tunnel’s ventilation fan, have been carefully disassembled and relocated to North Island for better efficiency. | |
North Island
Mary and Katherine aren't the only things that got a tune up this summer. Check out this behind-the-scenes video showing how crews on North Island engineered a solution to achieve their schedule and create efficiencies to make room for Mary’s trailing gear.
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Faced with limited space for reattaching Mary’s gantries on North Island, HRCP made way for Mary by expediting the removal of a cross wall and excavating part of the island's approach structure.
As Mary begins boring, island crews are shifting their focus to the integration of the tunnel approach structure into the new trestles.
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South Island
It wasn't the largest for the HRBT Expansion project, but a critical concrete pour occurred on Saturday, November 2, 2024, at the HRBT South Island.
A steady stream of trucks arrived over a 12-hour period with 1,360 cubic yards of concrete to form the roadway slab for the portal at the newly mined tunnel. Two shifts of crews worked to place the concrete, and their efforts provided a surface for the multi-service vehicles (MSVs) to transport materials to Mary the TBM which is already at work on a parallel tunnel.
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Tunnel Vision: Interior Progress Continues | |
There's light at the end of Virginia's first bored roadway tunnel here on the HRBT Expansion Project. Watch as our latest drone footage takes the public below the harbor and through the tube. It’s not ready for driving just yet, but crews are hard at work building the interior structure in preparation for motorists. | |
HRCP is making great strides toward tunnel infrastructure with the continuation of ballast placement, which forms the tunnel’s roadway foundation and provides base layer stability. Daily concrete pours are underway for the egress footer and L-Wall, both vital components that provide structure and safety. | |
(Above) HRCP tying reinforcing steel and installing formwork for the L-wall which, when complete, will allow for emergency exit from the new tunnels. | (Below) HRCP tying reinforcing steel and installing formwork for the tunnel's low point pump station walls and floor. | |
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Bayville Street
HRCP crews install new drainage pipes along Bayville Street in Norfolk in preparation for construction of a new I-64 East off-ramp at Bayville Street.
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Willoughby Bay Bridge
Eastbound: About 75 percent of Willoughby Bay Bridge has been widened in the Eastbound direction.
Traffic is expected to be shifted onto a portion of the widened bridge in the first half of 2025 while crews perform important maintenance tasks on the existing bridge deck.
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Westbound: Crews continue to place caps and girders for new travel lanes. | |
Outreach in October took the team to civic and neighborhood organizations including Willoughby Civic League and Nansemond on the Bay in Norfolk. We understand that construction affects citizens closest to the corridor, and we always welcome feedback from our neighbors along the construction route. | |
Project Director Ryan Banas shares construction updates and travel impacts with Willoughby Civic League at the Mary D. Pretlow Library in Norfolk. | |
Engaging Students Through STEM with the US Navy | |
HRCP staff joined the HRBT Communications Team at the Oceana Air Show in Virginia Beach and NAVSTA Fleet Fest in Norfolk where thousands of Hampton Roads fifth and sixth graders looked at a model of the TBM up close as part of their STEM learning opportunities. | |
Behind the Design
Chris Foley, VDOT Engineering Manager
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Meet Chris Foley, VDOT's Engineering Manager for the HRBT Expansion Project.
He is a 2009 graduate of University of Virginia in Civil Engineering with significant experience in bridges and tunnels. Chris plays a crucial role on the project, ensuring all engineering products and plans meet VDOT's standards for quality and safety. Like others on the team, Chris brings both VDOT and design/build experience, a valuable asset to the team.
Before joining Team HRBT, Chris built an impressive career, working on significant initiatives including Hampton Roads Express Lanes and serving as Project Manager for VDOT 's Statewide Tunnels Contract. Aside from his strong foundation in structural engineering, his background in coordinating complex bridge inspections and overseeing large-scale rehabilitation projects all contribute to his success in his current role.
As an engineer, Chris says he thrives on tackling tough problems and bringing theories to life. There's no shortage of engineering challenges for the team to solve here. In 2024 alone, Chris has played a key role in several major milestones like the North Trestle traffic shift, Mary's recent gantry lifts, and mining for tunnel #2. In preparation for intricate operations like these, Chris is the lead on reviewing the plan sets. Making sure each discipline to has the resources, tools, and personnel needed to do their part.
Another significant aspect of Chris's job involves ensuring that roadways are accessible to emergency personnel and equipped with features that facilitate access and minimize risk in the event on an emergency in the tunnel. Last month, he shared updates on some of those features with the Norfolk Local Emergency Management Committee and continues to engage with the cities of Norfolk and Hampton to make the corridor safe for all motorists and passengers.
Reliable infrastructure is a collective responsibility, and while many unsung heroes like Chris work behind the scenes, each of their efforts enhance public safety and make our community more resilient.
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The HRBT Expansion Project is rolling out the welcome mat to the public.
Tune into the latest episode of HRBT Tunnel Talk and listen as Project Director Ryan Banas explains what you can expect to find at the HRBT Welcome Center -- STEM learning, community meetings, tunnel history and more!
Now available on Apple, Spotify, and Libsyn.
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The making of the HRBT LOVEwork sign was a team effort every step of the way, from design to production to installation. Thank you to all who contributed to the final product! | |
Tunnel Talk, Straight Talk | |
Sign-up to receive traffic and construction updates for the HRBT Expansion Project. | |
HRCP Celebrates Achievements in Workforce Development | |
Also in October, HRCP celebrated reaching the halfway mark toward the project's on-the-job training program goal. With 40 graduates and counting, the HRBT Expansion Team is proud to support the region's growing workforce. | |
Hampton Roads in Headlines | |
The HRBT Expansion Project was featured in the latest edition of CONSTRUCTION Magazine. Check out the story on the Virginia’s most transformative road project on constructionmagazine.news! | |
HREL Network News
Current HREL Construction Traffic Impacts
As part of ongoing work on the Hampton Roads Express Lane (HREL) Network segments, motorists traveling on I-64 to and from the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel can expect various significant impacts throughout the corridor, specifically in Norfolk and Hampton. This construction work is weather- and schedule-dependent; therefore, this schedule is subject to change.
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Norfolk
I-64 West to I-564 West Exit Ramp (toward Naval Station Norfolk):
The continuous single-lane closure in place since Oct. 7, on the I-64 west general-purpose lanes off-ramp to I-564 west, reducing the ramp to a single lane, is estimated to reopen to traffic again starting as early as Nov. 18, schedule and weather permitting.
While this closure, which was in place to expedite bridge widening activities for the I-64 east bridge over I-564, briefly overlapped with the recently reopened Reversible Express Lanes closures to and from the I-64 mainline at this interchange, doing this work concurrently has allowed the contractor to reduce the duration for the I-564 ramp lane reduction by nearly 10 weeks and minimize the overall duration of the traffic impacts at this interchange.
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Hampton
New Long-Term Traffic Patterns and Closures:
I-64 East:
As of Oct. 27, a new long-term single-lane closure is in place through approximately fall 2025 on I-64 east between the I-664 interchange and Armistead Avenue, reducing this section of roadway from three to two travel lanes and tying into the adjacent existing lane configuration through to the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion Project.
Additionally, the previously shared option lane for the I-64 east through traffic and the I-664 south exit ramp (exit 264) has been temporarily reconfigured into a second ‘Exit Only’ lane from I-64 east to I-664 south.
As of Nov. 3, a long-term closure for the southbound LaSalle Avenue on-ramp to I-64 east is scheduled to be in place for approximately one year, with detours in place.
I-64 West:
As of Nov. 3, a new long-term, single-lane closure is in place on I-64 west, extending the two-lane road configuration from Armistead Avenue through the I-664 interchange until approximately fall 2025.
Settlers Landing Road/Woodland Road:
As of Oct. 14, long-term traffic patterns have been implemented through late 2025 on Settlers Landing Road/Woodland Road at the I-64 overpass.
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Westbound (toward Downtown Hampton from Woodland Road) traffic shifted right with two through lanes and one left-turn lane to I-64 east | |
Eastbound (from Downtown Hampton toward Woodland Road) traffic reduced to a single through lane and a left-turn lane to I-64 west | |
I-64 east off-ramp to Settlers Landing Road (exit 267): a continuous single-lane closure in place with new ramp configuration comprised of a left-turn only lane, through lane, and right-turn and through lane. | |
Before hitting the road, motorists should use VDOT's free 511 Virginia traffic tools or the free 511-integrated Waze GPS app to check for the most up-to-date road and travel conditions. VDOT’s 511Virginia.org website and mobile app offer information about construction, traffic, incidents, and congestion, as well as access to traffic cameras, weather-related impacts and more. | |
Get In the Know, and Then Go! | |
Sign Up To Receive Updates! |
Sign up for the HRBT Expansion Project Alerts to get weekly updates on traffic and construction impacts. Perfect way to “know before you go!”
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The HRBT Expansion Project team is committed to staying connected with the region for the life of the project. Like, join, follow, or tweet about the project on our social media channels. | | | | |