Crews plan to shift Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel traffic to a new eight-lane bridge between Willoughby Spit and the bridge-tunnel’s South Island this weekend.
The Virginia Department of Transportation said the changeover is planned for overnight Saturday into Sunday.
Although traffic will continue using the existing eastbound tunnel, “the shift marks the debut of the new mega trestle, giving motorists a new perspective of the project on a structure designed to combat the Hampton Roads harbor’s harsh salt-water environment,” VDOT said in a Friday statement.
The soon-to-open bridge is part of an ongoing $3.9 billion project to expand the HRBT Interstate 64 corridor between Norfolk and Hampton to eight lanes.
“Putting the first vehicles onto our new south trestle with this weekend’s traffic shift is a major win for the project and the region,” said Stephen Brich, VDOT’s commissioner of highways. “2025 continues to be the HBRT expansion’s most meaningful year in terms of measuring progress when we consider the new and rehabilitated portions of I-64 being brought online to reduce congestion and improve safety in this vital transportation corridor.”
Initially, the bridge will carry two lanes of eastbound traffic. The new 202-foot-wide bridge will replace the existing trestles by adding 1.2 miles of new deck length to the HRBT’s infrastructure. The roadway surface is between 13 feet and 27 feet higher than the existing bridge for improved drainage and to reduce sea spray on the trestle’s bearings and joints. Its construction materials include stainless steel and carbon fiber that should give the bridge a lifespan of more than 100 years.
In its final traffic configuration, the trestle will carry four lanes in each direction — eight lanes total with shoulders — between the Norfolk shoreline and the HRBT’s South Island. See a concept of the changes here.
Once traffic shifts to the new bridge, VDOT said project contractor Hampton Roads Connector Partners will start demolishing the old eastbound trestle and complete construction of the rest of the new structure. That work will include building westbound approach spans at Willougby Spit and replacing existing bridges connecting to South Island.
The south trestle is the second new permanent bridge to open at the HRBT in 18 months. VDOT said it’s also only the second new bridge at the HRBT in nearly 50 years since the bridge-tunnel was last widened in 1976.
