The benefits of bridge-tunnels
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — The tragic collapse of the Key Bridge this week has blocked all traffic into the Port of Baltimore. However, if the same thing was to happen in Hampton Roads, the circumstances would be different.
Our bridge-tunnels are our saving grace if we should ever see a bridge meet with disaster in the future.
There’s a reason why Naval Station Norfolk is the largest Navy base in the world.
“Because of those inherent natural advantages that the harbor has, it’s a naturally deep channel,” said Rick Dwyer, executive director of the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance. “[We have] moderate weather, so you don’t have to worry about ice in the wintertime.”
And it’s easily traversed waterways.
The region has safeguards in case a bridge was to topple. It’s why we have bridge-tunnels. Naval Station Norfolk was founded in 1917— smack in the middle of World War I. The first connector between Norfolk and the Peninsula — the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel — was built in 1957.
“And that was absolutely one of the considerations,” Dwyer said. “You wouldn’t want some sort of an incident, whether a wartime incident or some sort of disaster or accident, to cut off the fleet.”
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was built shortly after in 1964 and the Monitor-Merrimack Memorial Bridge-Tunnel was completed in 1992 — each one with a lengthy strip of real estate underground, allowing ships to move freely above.
“The channel is about 55 to 60 feet deep, depending on the location. And the actual tunnels are another 50 to 60 feet below that,” Dwyer said.
Not to mention, there are no overhead obstructions or height limits to worry about, which is why our region also can accommodate any vessel into the Port of Virginia.
“It’s one of the reasons why the Port of Virginia has been one of the busiest ports on the East Coast as well,” Dwyer said.
The Port of Virginia is preparing to receive cargo ships and cruise ships because of what’s happened in Baltimore. Again, thanks to those tunnels, the increased harbor traffic won’t impact our commute.
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