NORFOLK, Va. — The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) Expansion Project has reached a major breakthrough by boring the first-ever Virginia tunnel.
Mary the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) has arrived at the North Island after launching from the South Island on the Norfolk side in April 2023.
VDOT officials say the machine was custom-built for the HRBT Expansion Project. The TBM measures 46 feet in diameter and 420 feet in length. The equipment allowed for the project to create the first bored roadway tunnel in Virginia, and only the third ever in the United States.
Previously built tunnels in Hampton Roads were constructed using the immersed tube approach, instead of boring.
The TBM was named Mary after NASA engineer Mary Winston Jackson by Hampton Roads middle school students, VDOT said.
"With the breakout of the TBM, we are one step closer to the completion of this transformative project that will increase capacity at one of the region’s most congested corridors," said VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich.
After reaching the North Island, the TBM will be repositioned for a return trip. VDOT says it will take up to six months to turn her around and position her for relaunch to build a parallel tunnel back to the South Island.
The two-lane bored tunnel is part of the entire HRBT Expansion Project, which also includes widening I-64 from Hampton to Norfolk, five new bridges, and 20 widened bridges.