VDOT crews continue HRBT tunnel work

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - VDOT crews have shut down the left lane of the westbound tube once again to continue to drain the water from the water main break. Crews will continue to work throughout the night until 9 a.m. Friday, when they will pack up and let both lanes go through the westbound tube throughout the day. The lane closure will continue at 9 p.m. Friday.

Lauren Hansen of VDOT says the westbound lanes of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel were closed initially because of a water pump malfunction during a string of storms Wednesday night.

Hansen tells WAVY.com water was seeping from the pump house at the tunnel, which is where a water main break occurred/malfunctioned. The pump house is used to control the water flow through the tunnel. Hansen says water is constantly flowing through the walls of the tunnel for safety reasons.

That malfunction caused between four to six inches of water to build in the westbound tunnel, but Hansen is quick to point out, this has nothing to do with the integrity of the tunnel. She says the water main system has been shut off to the tunnel and they used a vacuum truck to try and pump out the water.

Hansen says the water main has broken before, but she says it's unclear if it's happened to this severity. Hansen says the pump is inspected weekly. She says Wednesday night's storm caused a power outage and a possible power surge that may have caused the system to overload and fail, resulting in the malfunction.

State Police Spokesperson Michelle Cotten says police responded all day to numerous traffic accidents, disabled vehicles and people driving recklessly down Interstate-64's shoulders, which she says is a hazard for emergency personnel. People need to stay off of the shoulder so emergency vehicles can get to all emergency situations quickly and easily, Cotten said.

MMMBT Backup:

Officials at the MMMBT say the tunnel experienced backup as a result of the delays at the HRBT.

Downtown Tunnel Backup:

An accident at the Downtown Tunnel also caused delays for Hampton Roads motorists. State police say a vehicle trying to avoid a ladder in the roadway swerved, hit the jersey wall and flipped.

The driver refused treatment, according to Sgt. Michell Cotten with Virginia State Police. No other injuries were reported.

Below is the most recent release from VDOT:

Both lanes are now open at the I-64 West Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT). Currently, traffic is backed-up on I-64 West to Chesapeake Boulevard, approximately 9 miles.

Traffic is now flowing smoothly on I-664 North toward the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel (MMMBT) and the Route 17 North James River Bridge.

Crews with The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) have successfully removed the water from I-64 West travel lanes. At 7:38 p.m., both lanes were open to traffic.

A malfunctioning water main system caused ponding inside of the I-64 HRBT West tube early this morning, closing all traffic lanes westbound at 6:30 a.m. One lane of traffic was opened at 2:15 p.m.

Crews will return later tonight to continue draining the water main system after rush hour and will continue overnight work through the weekend, avoiding the evening of Saturday, July 4. Single overnight lane closures will be in effect tonight, July 2, from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. Crews will then return Friday evening, July 3, and work from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. Motorists should anticipate additional congestion and seek alternate routes exiting the Norfolk area during these overnight closures.

After the pump house and water main system drainage in complete, crews will be able to assess the damage to the system and make necessary repairs. This may require additional nighttime lane closures next week.

 

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