HRBT

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced today its preliminary review of the events that led to the July 2 closure of the Interstate 64 West Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT) due to a fire main break. During a public meeting this morning, officials described a series of incidents surrounding the rupture of a 52-year-old cast-iron fire main pipe encased in concrete beneath the westbound tunnel’s road surface. Approximately 2 million gallons of water from the fire hydrant supply system filled underground ducts and eventually caused the complete closure of the westbound tunnel as water pooled in the travel lanes.