12/15/2017
Request for Qualifications issued for industry response
The project to build a new Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) and widen I-64 in Hampton and Norfolk reached a major milestone today with the issuance of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from firms interested in delivering the work.
The release of the RFQ marks the official start of the contract procurement process. Responses are due March 2, 2018. Among other things, teams may present their capabilities in immersed-tube tunneling, bored tunneling, or both methods.
A short list of qualified teams will be notified in April. Those teams will then be asked to submit detailed technical approaches and binding prices in response to a Request for Proposals. Contract award is anticipated in early 2019, followed by project completion in 2024.
The HRBT Expansion project will build another bridge-tunnel and widen the four-lane segments of I-64 in Hampton and Norfolk to ease daily congestion between the Peninsula and South Hampton Roads, a corridor vital to Virginia’s economy, military readiness and regional connectivity. Traffic on the HRBT’s existing four lanes exceeds 100,000 vehicles per day during peak summer traffic.
The majority of project funding will be provided by the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission, with federal support and other resources also anticipated.
Further information about the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion, including procurement details, is available at www.HRBTexpansion.org.
11/01/2017
In the history of underwater transportation, the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel notched its share of distinctions, including being the first crossing to run between two man-made islands.
For the communities it served, the span’s debut on Nov. 1, 1957, fundamentally altered the landscape. Virginia’s top transportation official described the impact in reality-shifting terms.
“With this bridge-tunnel, we have destroyed distance and conquered time,” said Gen. James A. Anderson, chairman of the State Highway Commission.
The 3.5-mile crossing between Hampton and Norfolk replaced a ferry service and united a region, yanking together a population that grew to 1.7 million today. Its traffic flew ahead of projections. One early estimate predicted daily use would reach 10,000 vehicles by 1980. In 1978, the actual count surpassed 40,000.
08/04/2017
At its July 2017 meeting, the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) issued a resolution of support for a regional I-64 Express Lane network that includes the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion.
This segment of the proposed network will carry two general purpose lanes and one Express Lane in each direction, at a minimum, with additional alternatives to be considered during the HRBT procurement. View the entire HRTPO presentation or visit the I-64 Express Lanes site for more information.
06/15/2017
Action Clears Way for Design and Procurement of HRBT Expansion
A project to expand the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and widen Interstate 64 between Hampton and Norfolk reached a major milestone this week with the conclusion of a nearly two-year environmental study.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Hampton Roads Crossing Study on June 12. The signature of the document concludes the National Environmental Policy Act process for the study and allows VDOT to proceed with more detailed procurement and design of the project.
In its Record of Decision, the FHWA selected Alternative A as the Preferred Alternative to relieve congestion in the I-64/Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel corridor. Alternative A expands I-64 and the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel to a consistent six-lane facility from I-664 in Hampton to I-564 in Norfolk. The expansion includes a new bridge-tunnel at the existing HRBT.
The document, a copy of which may be found here, presents the basis for the study decision, per 40 CFR 1505.2, and summarizes the mitigation measures to be incorporated in the project.
The next step in the procurement process is the anticipated release in late 2017 of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to potential proposers who wish to compete for a contract to design and build the project. Many details, including the final lane configuration and construction method of the new tunnel, will be determined as design and procurement advances.
Future updates on the I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion will be posted to the new project website at www.HRBTexpansion.org.
5/3/2017
On April 25, 2017, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) approved the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Final SEIS) for the Hampton Roads Crossing Study (HRCS). FHWA has published a Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register (dated May 5, 2017).
The Final SEIS includes the information presented in the Draft SEIS, documentation of the Preferred Alternative, updated analyses, and responses to substantive comments received on the Draft SEIS. The Final SEIS and updated technical documents are available on the study website.
The Council on Environmental Quality’s regulations for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40 CFR 1506.10(2)) and FHWA regulations (40 CFR 771.127(1)) state that FHWA will wait 30-days from the publication of an NOA on the Final SEIS before making a NEPA decision. Accordingly, VDOT will request a Record of Decision (ROD) from FHWA to complete the NEPA process in early June. The anticipated ROD will be posted to this web site when it is available.
Following the issuance of the ROD, VDOT can advance with more detailed procurement and design activities.
12/07/2016
The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) today unanimously approved a preferred alternative to ease congestion and improve travel on the I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. Alternative A will widen about 12 miles of I-64 to a consistent six-lane facility from I-664 in Hampton to I-564 in Norfolk. The alternative includes a new parallel bridge tunnel.
09/19/2016
The 45-day public comment period on the Hampton Roads Crossing Study Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (HRCS SEIS) concluded on September 19, 2016. While the comment period has closed, the Draft SEIS, supporting technical documents, and meeting materials from the Location Public Hearings are still available for review on the study web site. VDOT and FHWA will review the comments received on the Draft SEIS and provide responses to substantive comments in the Final SEIS scheduled to be released in the spring/summer of 2017.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) will receive its first briefing on the results of the study and input received from the public on September 20, 2016. A second CTB briefing is scheduled for October 18, 2016. It is anticipated that the CTB will take action to identify a preferred alternative during its action meeting on December 7, 2016. This preferred alternative will be documented in the Final SEIS.
08/05/2016
Public invited to comment on findings before alternative is chosen
The Federal Highway Administration and Virginia Department of Transportation today released the results of a study of proposed improvements to Hampton Roads’ harbor crossings, including expansion of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel and construction of additional crossings.
The release of the Hampton Roads Crossing Study Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement opens a 45-day public comment period on the results of the analysis. Two public hearings will be held in which people can review the alternatives under study, talk with VDOT representatives and provide feedback in person. Those hearings are:
The Hampton Roads Crossing Study is considering four alternatives to improve transportation between South Hampton Roads and the Peninsula. Those alternatives include expanding the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, building connections between Route 164 in Portsmouth and I-564 in Norfolk, expanding I-664, and building a water crossing between I-564 and the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board is expected to take formal action on a preferred alternative by the end of the year.
Public comment will be accepted until September 19.
6/24/16
In June 2016, VDOT briefed the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) on the status of the Hampton Roads Crossing Study Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (HRCS SEIS). VDOT is scheduled to brief the HRTPO’s Citizen Technical Advisory Committee in July.
VDOT remains on schedule to publish the Draft SEIS in early August. This publication will be announced through a FHWA Notice of Availability in the Federal Register, newspaper and other media announcements, on the study web site, and through emails like this. The Draft SEIS will be made available for a 45-day public comment period. During this time, VDOT will host Location Public Hearings to present the findings of the study and solicit input from the public. Following the close of the public comment period, VDOT will brief the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) on the study and then seek a formal endorsement by the CTB of a preferred alternative. VDOT anticipates CTB action before the end of 2016. Following the identification of the preferred alternative, VDOT will work with FHWA and its other partners to develop a Final SEIS that documents the preferred alternative, provides necessary analyses of this preferred alternative, and responds to public comments on the Draft SEIS. VDOT anticipates publishing this Final SEIS in the spring of 2017. Following the publication of the Final SEIS and update of regional planning documents, VDOT would request a Record of Decision from FHWA to advance the first section of the preferred alternative.
5/27/16
In April 2016, VDOT briefed the Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization Transportation Technical Advisory Committee and the Newport News City Council on the status of the Hampton Roads Crossing Study Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (HRCS SEIS).
In early May, VDOT also briefed the James City County Board of Supervisors on the status of the study.
Previous presentations and meeting materials also are available on the web site. (http://www.hrbtexpansion.org)
VDOT is on schedule to publish the Draft SEIS in early August. This publication will be announced through a FHWA Notice of Availability in the Federal Register, newspaper and other media announcements, on the study web site, and through emails like this.
The Draft SEIS will be made available for a 45-day public comment period. During this time, VDOT will host Location Public Hearings to present the findings of the study and solicit input from the public. Following the close of the public comment period, VDOT will brief the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) on the study and then seek a formal endorsement by the CTB of a preferred alternative.
VDOT anticipates CTB action before the end of 2016.
Following the identification of the preferred alternative, VDOT will work with FHWA and its other partners to develop a Final SEIS that documents the preferred alternative, provides necessary analyses of this preferred alternative, and responds to public comments on the Draft SEIS.
VDOT anticipates publishing this Final SEIS in the spring of 2017. Following the publication of the Final SEIS and update of regional planning documents, VDOT would request a Record of Decision from FHWA to advance the first section of the preferred alternative.
3/1/16
In February 2016, VDOT briefed local, state, and federal agencies and groups on the status of the Hampton Roads Crossing Study Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (HRCS SEIS).
During February, the study team also neared completion of field studies to inform the HRCS SEIS. Over the next few months, the team will document its findings and complete the necessary analysis to inform the SEIS.
2/2/16
In January 2016, VDOT, FHWA and the federal cooperating agencies concurred on the alternatives to be retained for analysis in the Hampton Roads Crossing Study Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (HRCS SEIS). Prior to this action, the alternatives were presented to the public at two Citizen Information Meetings (CIMs) held in December 2015. (Materials from the CIMs are available here). These alternatives, along with the No Build Alternative, will be retained for analysis in the Draft HRCS SEIS. The HRCS SEIS also allows for new or hybrid alternatives to be identified through the process. If a new or hybrid alternative is identified as the preferred, it will be fully documented in the Final SEIS.
Graphics illustrating the build alternatives retained for analysis are available on the study web site. An updated version of the study’s Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and recent presentations given by VDOT on the study also have been recently posted to the study web site. Our field teams continue to collect data along the study area corridors to inform the analysis in the HRCS SEIS.
12/9/15
At the December Citizen Information Meetings, the public was invited to re-examine the three alternatives that were retained for analysis in the original study, as well as an additional alternative identified during initial public outreach. The public was asked to provide input on how these alternatives met the purpose and need for the study, if there were other alternatives that should be considered, as well as seeking any other information the public could provide to inform the study.
7/20/15
VDOT representatives will be present to discuss the study and answer questions
VDOT, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and other stakeholders, have initiated work on a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to re-evaluate the Hampton Roads Crossing Study Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). Two Citizen Information Meetings (CIMs) are planned to gather public input for the SEIS.
