NORFOLK, Va. — The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project will reach a major milestone Sunday morning as the first two lanes of the new eight-lane south trestle will be open to eastbound traffic.
Starting at 5 a.m. Sunday, drivers will begin using the newly constructed lanes between South Island and Willoughby Spit in Norfolk. The opening marks the debut of the more than 200-foot-wide, and 1.2 mile long structure that has been under construction as part of the eight-year expansion project.
"This is a major milestone for the project in the region," said Stephen Brich, Commissioner of Highways for the Virginia Department of Transportation. "The last major traffic shift that we experienced was in the spring of '24, when we put traffic onto the new northbound trestle."
Traffic will continue using the existing eastbound tunnel. However, the shift marks the debut of the mega trestle. Drivers will experience a gentle transition from their current lanes with a curve to the right as they move onto the new trestle structure.
"The motorists will still experience a transition from the lanes that they have been using, with a gentle curve to the right, up onto the new trestle," Brich said.
The expansion project has been ongoing since 2019, and project officials say this weekend's opening represents significant progress toward completion.
"They've been seeing this be built for a number of years, so this will be a really great moment for the project, for the team members whose worked really hard to get to this point," said Michelle Martin, HRBT Expansion Project Manager. "So I'm really excited for the team on the project, and the public to be able to be a part of this big milestone."
While the new lanes don't immediately reduce congestion, they serve an important construction purpose.
"While the traffic shift does not help with congestion per se, it will help us be able to maintain two lanes of traffic during our construction as we progress to completing the project in 2027," Brich said.
The next phase of the expansion project involves demolishing the existing eastbound trestle to make way for construction of the new westbound entrance.
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