The Virginia Department of Transportation continues to vet private-sector companies to complete the expansion of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.
VDOT is collecting technical proposals and prices to design and construct the HRBT expansion, according to the transportation department.
VDOT will award a contract in early 2019 and the project will be completed in 2024. The tunnel expansion is expected to cost $3.3 billion, according to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel expansion website.
VDOT spokeswoman Paula Miller previously told WYDaily the tunnel expansion would be VDOT’s largest construction project.
Three companies — Hampton Roads Capacity Constructors, Hampton Roads Connector Partners and Skanska Kiewit — have successfully submitted their qualifications for the project.
The documents highlight the companies’ experience on complex highway projects and tunnel projects, safety records, financial statements and ability to address project challenges, officials said.
VDOT is planning to expand the tunnel to four lanes by building another bridge-tunnel and widen the existing four-lane segments of Interstate 64 between Settlers Landing and I-564 to ease congestion between Hampton and Norfolk.
The project will incorporate express toll lanes. Two of the four lanes will be free lanes, while there will be one express toll lane. Another can be used as an express toll lane during peak traffic.
In February, project director Jim Utterback said details on the construction of the tunnels are up to the construction companies that bid on the project, but the expansion has several purposes that will need to be met regardless of the design.
The new tunnels are expected to increase the number of people who can travel from the Southside to the Virginia Peninsula, mitigate traffic congestion, allow more people to evacuate during an emergency or hurricane, and increase business efficiencies in the region.
The new tunnel will follow nearly the same route as the current tunnel in an attempt to optimize the right of way VDOT currently owns, Utterback said.
The Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission is the primary funding agent for the project, according to the website. The commission will use local revenue from sales and gasoline taxes in the Hampton Roads Transportation Fund to pay for the expansion.
The corridor is “vital to Virginia’s economy, military readiness and regional connectivity,” according to VDOT.
More than 100,000 cars pass through the tunnel daily during peak summer traffic.
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