featured creative solution

Part tunnel, part bridge, the I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT) holds a place in history as an engineering milestone: the world’s first immersion tunnel connected to man-made islands. In 1957 the two-lane, 3.5-mile-long HRBT opened, providing area drivers with a straight shot from Norfolk to Hampton, Virginia, without waiting for a ferry or driving around all that water.

The HRBT today serves about three million vehicles a month, as one of a family of 10 bridges and bridge-tunnels that help drivers navigate the Hampton Roads harbor, above and below the shipping channels. At the HRBT, traffic volumes reach in excess of 100,000 vehicles during the tourist season, and planners have begun to explore alternatives to keep the traveling public on the move through the bridge-tunnel.

Moffatt & Nichol, bringing the experience in both bridge and waterfront design, served as a member of a consulting team for a 2008 feasibility study that explored improving the HRBT’s level of service. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) identified six possible alternatives that would add lanes using a bridge or tunnel solution to mitigate recurring congestion. Moffatt & Nichol provided conceptual design information for these high-level bridge alternatives.

Although a selection has not yet been made, VDOT continues to study the HRBT corridor and recently requested an environmental impact statement supporting studies for the improvements.