VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A tunnel boring machine is up and running again, carving out a new pathway for drivers crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connecting Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore.
It’s part of the $756 million expansion project to add a new two-lane tunnel from the southernmost island under the Thimble Shoal Channel to the next island.
When completed, the new tunnel will carry two new lanes of southbound traffic and the existing tunnel will have two lanes of northbound traffic. However, a ship anchor found back in May 2023 threw a wrench in the plans.
“Because of the size of the anchor, they decided they better stop,” Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District Deputy Executive Director for Infrastructure Mike Crist explained.
The anchor, roughly 10 feet in height, caused damage to the machine cutter head. Crist said it took about nine months to get to the anchor and remove it.
“Then, we found 90% of the cutter head tools were damaged," he said. "So, we had to replace the cutter head tools.”
Crist says crews started tunneling again on April 8.
“We’re about 20 to 25% through the tunnel. So, we’ve got another 700 rings to install," Crist told 13News Now.
“Once that’s done, we’ll have to go in and install the roadbed, putting the lighting systems, ventilation systems, all the mechanical equipment and then finish out the road.”
Crist said he’s relieved to see the project moving again. “A lot more rewarding to be installing tunneling rather than fixing tools."
Crist said the repairs were more extensive than they thought. So, he expects the expansion project to finish by August 2027.
Crist said repairs to the cutter head cost roughly $60 million. The majority of those funds will be covered by insurance.