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New Technology for Tunnel Expansion on Virginia Eastern Shore

Chesapeake Bay and Bridge-Tunnel website

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Some of the world's most sophisticated tunnel technology will be used to expand the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.

The Daily Press reported Thursday that contractors will use a massive machine to dig through the soil under Hampton Roads Harbor.

The digging will be a change from the previous method used to build or expand bridge tunnels in coastal Virginia. That method involved submersing prefabricated pieces of tunnel into a trench.

Contractors will add a new bridge-tunnel parallel to the existing ones that carry Interstate 64 from Norfolk to Hampton.

The project will accommodate more traffic and will cost $3 billion-plus. The state expects to choose a contractor for the project early next year.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.