After decades of increasingly worsening traffic, the infamous HRBT is getting a makeover -- including a new tunnel.

If you've ever tried to get from Newport News or Hampton to Virginia Beach, Norfolk, or Portsmouth, at some point, you have most definitely been stuck in horrendous tunnel traffic. The Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel is both the only direct way to cross the Chesapeake Bay to the other side of the Peninsula and the infuriating bane of Hampton Roads residents' existence.

Depending on what time you leave, you could be stuck in gridlock traffic for hours -- and there is no way to tell. 

Predictions and traffic assessments are a common topic on the radio, because residents need to know how to wrangle with this traffic monster at the exact, most convenient moment to avoid being, say, 45 minutes late to work.

“Every Friday night I feel like setting up a lemonade stand at the top of the ramp because it’s a parking lot up there,” homeowner Mike O’Shea joked about the horrendous traffic situation at the HRBT.

Now, the Virginia Department of Transportation hopes that's going to change.

After decades of increasingly worsening traffic -- some of the worst in the entire state, with the exception of metropolitan D.C. -- VDOT (the Virginia Department of Transportation) and HRTAC (the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Fund) are partnering to fund a $3.3- $3.8 billion redesign of the HRBT -- including a new tunnel.

Proposed route of the HRBT expansion. (Courtesy of VDOT)

The 10-mile expansion project, which includes the creation of a new tunnel and a fourth lane for the existing one, will extend from I-64 in Hampton to the I-584 interchange in Norfolk. The project will also include upgrades to or full replacements of 32 bridge structures along the tunnel.

The first major HRBT expansion in years will be costly, but could have a huge impact on the traffic situation that plagues residents traveling from one side of the Peninsula to the other -- and could improve economic development and mobility for residents in the region.

The winning bidder for the construction project will be selected in January. Project officials plan to finish construction within five to six years, with an expected completion sometime in 2024 or 2025.

Residents get an up-close look at the proposed path for roadway improvements and VDOT project engineers answer questions at a public hearing on the project. (Courtesy of HRBT Expansion)

VDOT Commissioner Steven Brich has high hopes for the project:

“The selection of a bored tunnel means Hampton Roads will see some of the world’s most sophisticated tunnel technology at work. Once complete, this new crossing will greatly improve accessibility, transit, emergency evacuation, and military and goods movement along the I-64 corridor,” Brich said.

For more details on the project, visit the HRBT Expansion Project website for project plans, maps, and impact reports from city officials to learn how it might affect your daily commute.

Have you ever been stuck in HRBT traffic? Let us know what you think of the expansion in the comments below.

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