This 10-mile stretch of I-64 between Norfolk and Hampton, Virginia, is undergoing a major expansion. The project team is widening the roadways and the two existing tunnels that carry vehicles through the intercoastal waters. The team is also building two new 1.5-mile tunnels, being bored under the surface of the seafloor, instead of on top of the seafloor, like the other two tunnels.

Glumac is providing commissioning for the new tunnels and their support facilities, which include buildings housing the generator, switchgear, and ventilation.

In addition, Glumac is developing the new tunnels’ emergency response plans and fire life safety compliance report. The response plans describe how the tunnels’ systems function in an emergency event – a fire, a car accident, flooding, etc – and how the tunnel will remain as safe and functional as possible.

Glumac is currently developing the integrated tests to confirm the systems will function. The project is expected to be complete in 2025.

Commissioned Systems

• Building mechanical systems
• Intelligent transportation system (ITS)
• Cameras
• Variable message signs
• Roadway traffic detectors
• Closure gates
• Tunnel ventilation
• Radio
• Emergency telephones
• Fire alarm/Fire suppression
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and communications network
• Electrical power systems

Size: 1.5 miles
Construction Cost: $3.8 billion
Start / End Date: November 2020 / Early 2025
Constractor: Hampton Roads Connector Partners (Dragados, Dodin Campenon Bernard, Flatiron Construction, VINCI Construction)
Owner: Virginia Department of Transportation
Services: Commissioning

Image courtesy Jack L. Beilhart, VDOT