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    Home » Our 3 Bridge -Tunnels
    Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
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    Our 3 Bridge -Tunnels

    Alex SumuelBy Alex SumuelAugust 11, 2021Updated:May 3, 2022No Comments2 Mins Read
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    Bridge-Tunnels Are Rare & We Have Three

    Did you know that Coastal Virginia is the only place in the United States with bridge tunnels? Even more intriguing is that there are only 11 other bridge-tunnel combinations in the world. So why is Hampton Roads the only place in the nation with bridge tunnels? The answer has more than a little to do with the area’s military presence.

    What is a Bridge-Tunnel?

    A bridge tunnel is a continuous road that crosses a body of water using a combination of bridges and tunnels. The three bridge-tunnel in Coastal Virginia are the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, and the Monitor Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel. The rest of the world’s bridge tunnels reside in China, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, and several other countries. 

    Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

    Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT)

    The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, or HRBT,

     was completed in 1957 and could be the oldest and first bridge-tunnel combination globally. Before the bridge tunnel was constructed, a ferry system would carry 2500 cars a day back and forth across the harbor.  

    The HRBT comes in at a whopping 3.5 miles in the distance and connects Hampton, Virginia, to Norfolk, Virginia, via Interstate 64 (I-64). And did you know that the body of water the HRBT crosses is called Hampton Roads? Our region is named after a vital waterway – not the City of Hampton or its roads!

    Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT)

    The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is a long one coming in at 17.6 miles from shore to shore. The bridge tunnel crosses several waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay, Hampton Roads harbor, and the James and Elizabeth Rivers. The CBBT connects Virginia Beach to Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.

    Monitor Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel

    Completed in 1992, the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel is approximately 4.6 miles long. It crosses the Hampton Roads harbor where the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth Rivers merge. The bridge tunnel connects Newport News to Suffolk via Interstate 664. It is named after two warships from the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862 – the USS Monitor and the USS Merrimack.

    What makes Hampton Roads so unique?

    The Chesapeake Bay and the Hampton Roads harbor are critical waterways for Naval Station Norfolk – the most extensive naval base in the world! The base is the reason we have bridge tunnels in Hampton Roads. These waterways cannot risk being blocked by a collapsed bridge in the event of a national emergency. 

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    Alex Sumuel
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    Alex Sumuel is a proud Virginia native who loves coffee, sushi, technology, and traveling! She founded Explore CoVA to help vacationers and locals with things to do, day trips, news, events, and more.

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    Welcome! Explore Coastal Virginia is a local lifestyle and travel website designed to help you discover new and local things to do and see in the region. From the unspoiled shores of the Chesapeake Bay to the thrilling nightlife of our city centers, we’re eager to share our corner of the Commonwealth with you. Follow our journey as we explore, taste, sip, and play our way through Coastal Virginia!

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