Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

[elsmere241]

https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/perdue-farms-truck-driver-dead-chesapeake-bay-bridge-tunnel-crash-feb-15-2026

(There are plenty of other links from the Salisbury and Norfolk media)

Essentially, a Perdue Farms trucker going southbound on the CBBT this morning (Sunday Feb 15th) hit the west (right side) barrier and the truck landed in the water.  The trailer ripped open and the driver did not survive.

[roadman65]

https://www.wtvr.com/news/local-news/perdue-farms-truck-driver-dead-chesapeake-bay-bridge-tunnel-crash-feb-15-2026

(There are plenty of other links from the Salisbury and Norfolk media)

Essentially, a Perdue Farms trucker going southbound on the CBBT this morning (Sunday Feb 15th) hit the west (right side) barrier and the truck landed in the water.  The trailer ripped open and the driver did not survive.

I couldn't find the non FB direct link.  I was in a hurry to let AI do it when posting and forgot later.

[D-Dey65]

Are there any plans to reopen the rest area and store? It was a great place to stop.

The store/restaurant is gone forever.  I am unsure if the piers will reopen eventually.

Too bad. The CBBT is so unique that it deserves its own tourist gathering spot.

Trust me, you're not the only person upset about this. I've got quite a history with that place and the bridge where it used to reside.

[Plutonic Panda]

Are there any plans to reopen the rest area and store? It was a great place to stop.

The store/restaurant is gone forever.  I am unsure if the piers will reopen eventually.

Too bad. The CBBT is so unique that it deserves its own tourist gathering spot.

Trust me, you're not the only person upset about this. I've got quite a history with that place and the bridge where it used to reside.

I've never been there, but I was checking it out pictures on Google and stuff like that. It looked like a really cool unique place. Why would they get rid of that?

[Beltway]

Are there any plans to reopen the rest area and store? It was a great place to stop.

The store/restaurant is gone forever.  I am unsure if the piers will reopen eventually.

Too bad. The CBBT is so unique that it deserves its own tourist gathering spot.

Trust me, you're not the only person upset about this. I've got quite a history with that place and the bridge where it used to reside.

I've never been there, but I was checking it out pictures on Google and stuff like that. It looked like a really cool unique place. Why would they get rid of that?

The restaurant didn't disappear because the District "got rid of it." The southern island is now the construction and staging platform for the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel, and the footprint of the new portal, ventilation structures, and safety buffer permanently consumes the space where the building and parking used to sit. Once you add the security standoff around an active tunnel portal, there's no remaining pad for public access or safe circulation.

And now that the approach is a full 4‑lane freeway, the old at‑grade intersection isn't even an option. Freeway access control eliminates all at‑grade movements, and the island no longer has the length for merge lanes, decel lanes, or tapers. The geometry that made the old intersection workable only existed when the corridor was two lanes with lower speeds.

A trumpet interchange is the only layout that could theoretically fit, but even that fails. A trumpet requires at least one flyover and two long bridged ramp legs, and the island doesn't have the footprint, the pier foundation zone, or the vertical clearance for any of it. The new tunnel portal and ventilation complex take up much of the entire surface, leaving no room for ramp approaches or elevated structures. Once the corridor was upgraded and the new tunnel portal was sited, any form of public facility or interchange became physically impossible -- unless the island is expanded -- and that would cost $200 million or more.

The same situation exists for the northern island. And for the two islands at the Chesapeake Channel Tunnel which will be paralleled in the (hopefully not too distant) future.

[Plutonic Panda]

Thanks for the explanation. I guess it would be too much trouble to do that. I mean in a world with unlimited money it would be nice to have done that, but I get why they didn't now.

[Beltway]

Thanks for the explanation. I guess it would be too much trouble to do that. I mean in a world with unlimited money it would be nice to have done that, but I get why they didn't now.

Since the Parallel Chesapeake Channel Tunnel has not been designed I suppose that one of its islands could be expanded, and Island #3 is near mid-span. Again about the same added costs, plus NEPA EIS and permitting needed.

[Rothman]

Thanks for the explanation. I guess it would be too much trouble to do that. I mean in a world with unlimited money it would be nice to have done that, but I get why they didn't now.

Since the Parallel Chesapeake Channel Tunnel has not been designed I suppose that one of its islands could be expanded, and Island #3 is near mid-span. Again about the same added costs, plus NEPA EIS and permitting needed.

Hm.  Wonder if an EIS would be needed if they avoided using federal funding.

[Beltway]

Thanks for the explanation. I guess it would be too much trouble to do that. I mean in a world with unlimited money it would be nice to have done that, but I get why they didn't now.

Since the Parallel Chesapeake Channel Tunnel has not been designed I suppose that one of its islands could be expanded, and Island #3 is near mid-span. Again about the same added costs, plus NEPA EIS and permitting needed.

Hm.  Wonder if an EIS would be needed if they avoided using federal funding.

An island expansion on the CBBT would still require a full NEPA EIS regardless of funding because NEPA is triggered by federal action, not federal dollars.

Expanding an island means placing fill and structures into the Chesapeake Bay, which automatically invokes Section 404 (Corps), Section 10 (navigable waters), Coast Guard bridge permitting, Endangered Species Act consultation, and Coastal Zone Management Act consistency. Any one of those federal jurisdictions activates NEPA under 42 USC 4332, and a new or enlarged tunnel‑island footprint constitutes a major alternative with significant dredging, benthic disruption, and navigation impacts. Even with 100% state or CBBT funding, the federal permits make an EIS unavoidable.

Expanding a CBBT island isn't exempt from NEPA, but it's also not some exotic or impossible hurdle -- you simply run the required federal permits and proceed.

[Rothman]

Thanks for the explanation. I guess it would be too much trouble to do that. I mean in a world with unlimited money it would be nice to have done that, but I get why they didn't now.

Since the Parallel Chesapeake Channel Tunnel has not been designed I suppose that one of its islands could be expanded, and Island #3 is near mid-span. Again about the same added costs, plus NEPA EIS and permitting needed.

Hm.  Wonder if an EIS would be needed if they avoided using federal funding.

An island expansion on the CBBT would still require a full NEPA EIS regardless of funding because NEPA is triggered by federal action, not federal dollars.

Expanding an island means placing fill and structures into the Chesapeake Bay, which automatically invokes Section 404 (Corps), Section 10 (navigable waters), Coast Guard bridge permitting, Endangered Species Act consultation, and Coastal Zone Management Act consistency. Any one of those federal jurisdictions activates NEPA under 42 USC 4332, and a new or enlarged tunnel‑island footprint constitutes a major alternative with significant dredging, benthic disruption, and navigation impacts. Even with 100% state or CBBT funding, the federal permits make an EIS unavoidable.

Expanding a CBBT island isn't exempt from NEPA, but it's also not some exotic or impossible hurdle -- you simply run the required federal permits and proceed.

Ah yes, it would need federal permitting, wouldn't it.

Not sure 42 USC 4332 says what you intended, though.  That section deals with legislative instruction to federal agencies once actions are instigated.

Still, keep in mind that federal permits are hierarchical rather than concurrent:  Coast Guard is typically one of the last permits obtained, since they want the Corps' and other permits approved prior to their approval, just as one example.  They'd also want the project defined before issuing such -- issuances hopefully happen with PS&E, although often happen later and hopefully before award!  In any matter, developing the EIS would be done prior to applying for permits, rather than being triggered by such.

[D-Dey65]

The restaurant didn't disappear because the District "got rid of it." The southern island is now the construction and staging platform for the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel, and the footprint of the new portal, ventilation structures, and safety buffer permanently consumes the space where the building and parking used to sit. Once you add the security standoff around an active tunnel portal, there's no remaining pad for public access or safe circulation.

And now that the approach is a full 4‑lane freeway, the old at‑grade intersection isn't even an option. Freeway access control eliminates all at‑grade movements, and the island no longer has the length for merge lanes, decel lanes, or tapers. The geometry that made the old intersection workable only existed when the corridor was two lanes with lower speeds.

A trumpet interchange is the only layout that could theoretically fit, but even that fails. A trumpet requires at least one flyover and two long bridged ramp legs, and the island doesn't have the footprint, the pier foundation zone, or the vertical clearance for any of it. The new tunnel portal and ventilation complex take up much of the entire surface, leaving no room for ramp approaches or elevated structures. Once the corridor was upgraded and the new tunnel portal was sited, any form of public facility or interchange became physically impossible -- unless the island is expanded -- and that would cost $200 million or more.

The same situation exists for the northern island. And for the two islands at the Chesapeake Channel Tunnel which will be paralleled in the (hopefully not too distant) future.

I don't see why a trumpet would be necessary. A simple RIRO ramp on both sides leading to a two-way road for the parking lots from the original island to the new extension would be more ideal. I once considered a bridge for the connecting loop road between the two islands behind the tunnel buildings, but I don't like that idea anymore. Any one of those ideas would still be prohibitively expensive, and I think that sucks.

For anyone who has been there in more recent times, do the new tunnels have those Howard Johnson-tile portals that the originals have?

[Beltway]

I don't see why a trumpet would be necessary. A simple RIRO ramp on both sides leading to a two-way road for the parking lots from the original island to the new extension would be more ideal. I once considered a bridge for the connecting loop road between the two islands behind the tunnel buildings, but I don't like that idea anymore. Any one of those ideas would still be prohibitively expensive, and I think that sucks.
For anyone who has been there in more recent times, do the new tunnels have those Howard Johnson-tile portals that the originals have?

No tiles -- modern tunnels leave the fireproofing panels bare -- the LED lighting is so bright that tiles are not needed.

The existing RIRO barely work now, and with a full 4‑lane freeway, it will be even less so.

[sprjus4]

IIRC, the fishing pier is remaining, so that access point will be retained.

The CBBT is not a freeway facility, with at-grade intersections on either end.

[Rothman]

I just don't see anyone investing in rebuilding the facility at this point, no matter the feasibility.  Glad I was able to eat there before it closed.

[Beltway]

IIRC, the fishing pier is remaining, so that access point will be retained.
The CBBT is not a freeway facility, with at-grade intersections on either end.

The southern end is an interchange at US-60. The facility is a freeway for 22 miles and mid span is a long way from the ends.

[Beltway]

I just don't see anyone investing in rebuilding the facility at this point, no matter the feasibility.  Glad I was able to eat there before it closed.

Cost estimate (mine) starting at $200 million to either expand an island or build a bridge structure platform to put a visitors center  on.

[sprjus4]

IIRC, the fishing pier is remaining, so that access point will be retained.
The CBBT is not a freeway facility, with at-grade intersections on either end.

The southern end is an interchange at US-60. The facility is a freeway for 22 miles and mid span is a long way from the ends.

North of the US-60 interchange, there are 3 legal crossings (with turn lanes), including an at-grade intersection with the toll facility parking lot.  On the northern approach, there are 5 at-grade intersections until you reach the toll plaza on the Eastern Shore.

The section functions as a free-flowing expressway, but falls short of legally being a controlled-access freeway facility.

It's really all semantics at the end of the day.

[Beltway]

IIRC, the fishing pier is remaining, so that access point will be retained.
The CBBT is not a freeway facility, with at-grade intersections on either end.

The southern end is an interchange at US-60. The facility is a freeway for 22 miles and mid span is a long way from the ends.

North of the US-60 interchange, there are 3 legal crossings (with turn lanes), including an at-grade intersection with the toll facility parking lot.  On the northern approach, there are 5 at-grade intersections until you reach the toll plaza on the Eastern Shore.
The section functions as a free-flowing expressway, but falls short of legally being a controlled-access freeway facility.
It's really all semantics at the end of the day.

I reviewed US-60 to shoreline and see there are no breaks in the limited access line for side access. There are accesses around the toll plaza and two looks like official use only, and a toll plaza is a break in free flowing traffic in any case.

17.6 miles is from shore to shore and that obviously has no cross roads or side access.

I was thinking of what happens when the tunnels are paralleled and the middle area of a high speed freeway shore to shore, and the kinds of speeds that will result.

[froggie]

17.6 miles is from shore to shore and that obviously has no cross roads or side access.

The intersection on Fisherman's Island says hi...

[Beltway]

17.6 miles is from shore to shore and that obviously has no cross roads or side access.

The intersection on Fisherman's Island says hi...

Authorized Vehicles Only ...

Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge, the whole island outside the highway, is closed to all public access to protect sensitive species and habitats. I inquired about taking a boat to get there and the answer is negative.

[sprjus4]

The intersection has full left-turn lanes in both directions and permits U-turns. That is not an authorized vehicles only crossover.

[Beltway]

The intersection has full left-turn lanes in both directions and permits U-turns. That is not an authorized vehicles only crossover.

https://tinyurl.com/ye2es6kd

It doesn't connect to anything other than the wildlife refuge and that is closed to the public except for official guided tours (supposedly but I don't know how they do that -- maybe by jeeps).

It may also serve as a maintenance crossover -- but Interstate highways have them too.

[ixnay]

The intersection has full left-turn lanes in both directions and permits U-turns. That is not an authorized vehicles only crossover.

https://tinyurl.com/ye2es6kd

It doesn't connect to anything other than the wildlife refuge and that is closed to the public except for official guided tours (supposedly but I don't know how they do that -- maybe by jeeps).

Per this link (scroll down three quarters to the pertinent info), the tour is two miles of walking, free, and requires advance registration.  Tours are on Saturdays from October through February. 

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/fisherman-island/visit-us/tours

This, apparently, is where the tour participants rendezvous and are bussed to the entrance from...

https://tinyurl.com/2n33w437

[Beltway]

The intersection has full left-turn lanes in both directions and permits U-turns. That is not an authorized vehicles only crossover.

https://tinyurl.com/ye2es6kd
It doesn't connect to anything other than the wildlife refuge and that is closed to the public except for official guided tours (supposedly but I don't know how they do that -- maybe by jeeps).

Per this link (scroll down three quarters to the pertinent info), the tour is two miles of walking, free, and requires advance registration.  Tours are on Saturdays from October through February. 
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/fisherman-island/visit-us/tours
This, apparently, is where the tour participants rendezvous and are bussed to the entrance from...
https://tinyurl.com/2n33w437

I don't see anything about a bus ... I hope they don't have them walk on the shoulder of the highway.

-- Meets at 8:30 am at the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center
-- The walking tour travels 2 miles with varying difficulty over soft and hard-packed sand