NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Nowadays, there’s a holiday for everything.
Did you know, for instance, that Wednesday is World Tunnel Day?
The Virginia Department of Transportation is celebrating by opening the new Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Welcome Center.
Not only will you learn a little history, you’ll also see some of the things uncovered during the work there.
Not far from the HRBT construction, in what used to be the city of Norfolk’s visitor center, is now the welcome center for the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project.
“Folks have the opportunity to appreciate looking at some of the history on the wall here, just how world-class what we are doing here,” said Ryan Banas, project director for the HRBT expansion project. “Provide them updates on the project, where we’ve been, where we’re going, what streets may be closing in the near future, what other impacts may be occurring throughout the facility and educate them on not only those impacts, but also to gain a better appreciation for how cutting edge and worldly this project is.”
Banas noted that this is just the third bored vehicular tunnel in the United States.
“We are using the second-largest tunnel boring machine in North America,” he said, “and we’ve actually set other world records for tunneling progress and rotation of our machine.”
The history of the HRBT is in the welcome center.
Before the construction of the 3.5 mile crossing, there was a 30-minute ferry ride. Then, in 1957, that was replaced with a bridge and tunnel that cost $1.25 per car, with an extra 20 cents per occupant to cross. We complain about tolls now. In today’s dollars, that would be about $10 per vehicle.
There are also some found treasures.
“If you come out for anything, the cannonballs are neat,” he said. “The Mastedon teeth are neat, and we have never seen stuff like this before.”
Long-time Willoughby Spit resident Benny LeBond already sees an improvement in traffic.
“This is doing the job now, and it isn’t even finished,” LeBond said.
The Virginia Department of Transportation estimates that more than 100,000 cars per day use the HRBT, which was originally designed to handle 60,000 cars per day. The hope is that by having eight lanes — four in each direction — it will make crossing the harbor easier.
“We can’t guarantee that nobody will ever sit in traffic, but you can help that,” Banas said. “Making sure you have enough gas, making sure your cars are working order, getting enough space between you in the car in front of you, and most importantly, using those turn signals when you want to change lanes — being a good neighbor is how we keep everybody moving by paying attention to what’s around us.”
Construction continues on the HRBT expansion project, hoping to alleviate some of the traffic. VDOT said the project is on-time and on budget, with a planned opening in February 2027.
Note: The project Welcome Center is not open to the public. Instead, you can set up a tour by emailing them at hrbtinfo@vdot.virginia.gov.