NORFOLK, Va. — A planned traffic shift onto the new South Trestle at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion project has been postponed, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).
VDOT announced Sunday that overnight operations scheduled for Saturday, October 25, 2025, to shift traffic between South Island and Norfolk are being delayed. Officials said that during final preparations, crews determined all prerequisite work was not complete.
“As safety is the utmost priority, this temporary delay will permit the project’s design-build contractor, Hampton Roads Connector Partners, additional time to complete preparations and ensure a seamless traffic shift at a future date,” VDOT said in a statement.
The department plans to announce a revised opening date through its Weekly Lane Closure report, social media, and local media partners. “We will reach out as soon as we have a new date for the traffic shift,” VDOT added.
Original plan and project background
The traffic shift had been slated for early Sunday morning, marking what VDOT officials had described as a major milestone for the $3.9 billion expansion project. Starting at 5 a.m., drivers were expected to begin using the first two lanes of the new eight-lane south trestle between South Island and Willoughby Spit in Norfolk.
The newly constructed structure spans roughly 1.2 miles and more than 200 feet in width — a key part of the eight-year HRBT expansion that began in 2019.
“This is a major milestone for the project in the region,” said Stephen Brich, Commissioner of Highways for VDOT. “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 until the new opening date is set. Brich said the transition will eventually guide motorists onto the new trestle with a gentle curve to the right.
Michelle Martin, the HRBT Expansion Project Manager, previously told News 3 the opening represents years of work. “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 who’ve worked really hard to get to this point,” she said.
While the new lanes won’t immediately ease congestion, Brich said the shift is critical to maintaining two lanes of traffic during construction leading up to the project’s completion in 2027. The next phase will involve demolishing the existing eastbound trestle to make way for the new westbound span.
