The Longest Tunnel in Virginia Feels Like an Endless Underground Adventure

Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel entering westbound tunnel
Ben Schumin / CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository

Written by Kyle Glatz

Updated: July 28, 2023

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Virginia is a state with a rich historical background, beautiful landscapes, and amazing architecture. Uniting a state with such varied topography has been a great challenge. Yet, bridges, tunnels, and roadways have all helped people traverse the state. In particular, some of the tunnels in this state have provided significant decreases in travel times, including the longest tunnel in Virginia. Find out where this tunnel is located and why its place on this list may be a bit controversial.

What is the Longest Tunnel in Virginia?

Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel entering westbound tunnel

The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel is the longest tunnel in the state of Virginia.

The longest tunnel in Virginia is the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT), a structure with twin tunnels that measure 7,479 feet or 1.41 miles in length. Specifically, the tunnel in the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel is the longest single tunnel in Virginia even though other structures have a greater combined tunnel length throughout their run.

The entire structure of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel is about 3.5 miles long including portals, bridges, and tunnels. Less than half of that total length is a tunnel, though. Regarding the longest tunnel in Virginia only, Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel has the greatest individual length of a single tunnel.

What Are the Hampton Roads?

The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel crosses the Hampton Roads, allowing people to cross the water from Hampton to Norfolk. While it may sound confusing, Hampton Roads refers to a body of water in Virginia. Specifically, Hampton Roads is a location where the mouths of Nansemond, Elizabeth, and the James Rivers meet before reaching the Chesapeake Bay.  

The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel was built to replace ferries that carried vehicles across the water. The original structure was opened on November 1, 1957, and it was later expanded.

How Do Other Long Tunnels in Virginia Measure Up?

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

A misconception is that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is Virginia’s longest.

A major misconception about the longest tunnel in Virginia is that the title belongs to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is a 17-mile continuous structure. This large bridge-tunnel crosses the Chesapeake Bay.  However, the tunnels that dip into the river are only a mile long each.

Since a mile is equivalent to 5,280 feet and the tunnel at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel is 7,479 feet, the latter has the longest single tunnel in the state. Unless one counts both tunnels as part of the same structure, despite the large gap between them, then the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is the second-longest tunnel in Virginia.

Other long tunnels are found throughout the state as well. For example, the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel has a tunnel that measures 4,229 feet. This tunnel was built to help drivers pass under a portion of Big Walker Mountain.

The History of the Longest Tunnel in Virginia

Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel

The HRBT Expansion Project is being hailed as the largest highway construction project in the state’s history.

The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel was built to replace ferries that carried vehicles across the water. The original structure was opened on November 1, 1957, and it was later expanded. The expansion started in 1972 and ended in 1976, and a new one is on the way.

The current design of the HRBT features two bridge-tunnel structures that each have two lanes. Like other bridge-tunnels, the bridge leads a vehicle out into Hampton Roads before the road dips into the tunnel and then emerges onto another section of the bridge that completes the journey across the river.

Currently, an expansion project is underway to alleviate traffic congestion. Originally, the bridge-tunnel structure served under 10,000 vehicles per day. That number has grown to 88,000 in 2008 and over 100,000 during the summer months.

 The HRBT Expansion Project is being hailed as the largest highway construction project in the state’s history. This project is poised to double the number of lands available to drivers. Currently, the project is expected to be done in 2025. That way, more people will be able to cross Hampton Roads without the miles of traffic congestion that typically fills up the area.

Where is the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Located on a Map?

The Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel is a transportation infrastructure spanning 3.5 miles, serving as a crossing for Interstate 64 and US Route 60 in the Hampton Roads region. This four-lane facility consists of bridges, trestles, artificial islands, and tunnels that pass beneath the main shipping channels of the Hampton Roads harbor in southeastern Virginia, United States.

Here is the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel on a map:

What Animals Live in and Near Hampton Roads?

Atlantic Sturgeon close-up

Atlantic

sturgeon

are among the 3,000 animal species inhabiting the Chesapeake Bay area.

Over 3,000 species of animals live in the Chesapeake Bay area. That includes almost 200 kinds of shellfish and almost 350 finned fish. Also, the area is well-known for its assortment of birds and the odd dolphin that passes through the waters. While they may not travel inland to Hampton Roads often, it’s clear that many animals thrive in this area.

James River is home to a few very large types of fish. The river is a popular place to catch longnose gar as well as blue catfish. Atlantic sturgeons also come to the river to breed.

The agencies in charge of the new Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion are keeping these animals in mind while they alter the region. However, since most of the work involves boring a tunnel, many of the local animals will not be impacted.

The longest tunnel in Virginia is about 1.41 miles long. Although the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel has 2 miles worth of tunnels, those structures are separated from one another. The Hampton Bay Bridge-Tunnel is undergoing a $3.3 billion construction project that will essentially double the capacity of the structure. The project is ongoing, and it may even shake up the longest tunnel rankings in the state.


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About the Author

Kyle Glatz is a writer at A-Z-Animals where his primary focus is on geography and mammals. Kyle has been writing for researching and writing about animals and numerous other topics for 10 years, and he holds a Bachelor's Degree in English and Education from Rowan University. A resident of New Jersey, Kyle enjoys reading, writing, and playing video games.

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