NORFOLK, Va. — The completion of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) Expansion Project will be delayed by a year and a half, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced on Thursday.
According to the department, the project's new final completion date will be Aug. 27, 2027. The project's "substantial" completion will be on Feb. 26, 2027, an 18-month delay from the original schedule.
VDOT said these changes are "to provide construction schedule certainty, enhance contractor schedule accountability and reduce the potential of litigation."
Christopher Hall, a district engineer with Hampton Roads VDOT, told 13News Now that construction delays and unforeseen economic issues pushed the project back.
“Every day, there are challenges on this project," Hall said. "We’re doing something that’s never been done before, quite frankly.”
The project involves widening the four-lane segments along nearly 10 miles of Interstate 64 in Norfolk and Hampton, along with new twin tunnels. Crews broke ground on the project in 2020 with an original expected completion of November 2025.
The project is the largest of its kind in Virginia’s history. Hall said that comes with difficulties.
"This is, again, the largest of its kind in the world, in a very unique environment, underneath the James River," he said.
On Thursday, VDOT said it came to a new agreement with the HRCP, which includes new completion dates and a reset early completion initiative to motivate constructors to finish ahead of schedule.
The HRCP could get $90 million if they finish substantial completion no later than Sept. 25, 2026.
Under the new agreement, VDOT said they were able to keep the project nearly within the original $3.9 billion budget.