![]() The Environmental Impact Statement made in the 1990s as required by the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, will apply to the new tunnel project. Members of the public are welcome to make an appointment to visit the CBBT administration office and view the project’s draft categorical exclusion, documents showing that a full environmental assessment is not necessary because one was conducted in the 1990s and environmental conditions have not changed since, Crist explained. He doesn’t believe there will be many requests for a public hearing because the parallel tunnel project is not “controversial.” Getting the money is a “long shot” even though the project can begin as soon as funding is available, and no significant impacts to the environment or natural or other resources are anticipated, Crist said.īefore construction of the Thimble Shoals parallel tunnel began, four public meetings were held, which attracted minimal attendance. The district is coordinating with the office of Congresswoman Elaine Luria and is requesting up to $500 million in federal stimulus funds, or about half the total project cost. The district is getting the project “shovel ready” to be competitive for grant funds that would become available when Congress passes its next infrastructure bill, Crist said. But if the project was funded partly by a grant, work could start almost immediately. If construction of that tunnel was funded 100% with toll revenue, the project would not start for 10 to 15 years, said Crist. ![]() When adjusting for inflation, the Chesapeake Channel parallel tunnel – the last mile of the parallel crossing to be completed – will cost about $1 billion. Three loans are funding construction of the $756 million Thimble Shoals parallel tunnel, which will be paid 100% with toll revenue. An additional two-lane bridge was completed in 1999, but construction of the first parallel tunnel did not begin until 2019. The bridge-tunnel opened in 1964 with a two-lane bridge and two tunnels with two lanes each, spanning 17.6 miles across the Chesapeake Bay.Ĭonstruction of a parallel crossing began in the 1990s. The district instead published a legal ad in the April 23 and May 7 editions of the Eastern Shore Post notifying the public of the district’s willingness to hold a public hearing on the project if one is requested.Īt least 25 “reasonable requests” for a public hearing must be made before one can be scheduled, Crist said. Since the Chesapeake Channel parallel tunnel project is virtually identical to the Thimble Shoals project, little public concern is anticipated, and no public meetings have been scheduled, according to Michael Crist, professional engineer and the district’s deputy director of infrastructure. By Stefanie Jackson – The Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District, which manages and maintains the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, is readying plans to build a Chesapeake Channel parallel tunnel on the Northampton County side of the facility as work continues near Virginia Beach on the Thimble Shoals parallel tunnel, which is expected to be completed in 2024.
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