New Tunnel Coming for CBBT
A
new parallel tunnel is in the works for Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT). Known as the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project, the additional new twolane tunnel under Thimble Shoal Channel will carry two lanes of southbound traffic. Once it opens, the existing tunnel will carry two lanes of northbound traffic. Construction is scheduled to begin October 1, 2017, and is scheduled to be completed by October 2022. The new tunnel will be about a mile long. The project will mean big changes for Island One, the southernmost of the CBBT’s four manmade islands. To make way for the new tunnel, the island’s restaurant, Chesapeake Grill, will close permanently October 1, 2017. Virginia Originals, the gift shop next door, awaits the same fate. Once construction begins, no restrooms will be available on the bridge’s 23-mile span, so plan accordingly. Restrooms will continue to be available at the bridge-tunnel’s Eastern Shore Welcome Center. Sea Gull Pier, the 625-foot fishing pier accessible from Island One will also close. Unlike the Chesapeake Grill, the fishing pier is expected to reopen when construction finishes in 2022. Located three and a half miles from Virginia Beach, the pier provides a rare opportunity for deep-sea fishing for those without a boat, and thousands of anglers visit every year. Bird watchers, also common on the island, will be accommodated at other areas of the bridge-tunnel during construction. The estimated cost of the project is $750 million dollars, to be paid through District funding, bonds, and loans. The announcement of the contract award to The Dragados Team came after a three and half year project development and procurement process. The project originally envisioned expanding Island One and relocating the restaurant on the island. However, after all compliant bid proposals were submitted earlier this year, costs had to be scaled back. Consequently the project was re-scoped and the bidders re-engaged. The new plan has a cost savings of approximately $250 million, but at the expense of the restaurant and gift shop. cbbt.com Follow us!
##Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel construction begins October 2017 for the Thimble Shoal Parallel Tunnel Project. Image courtesy of the CBBT
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