Maintenance of bridge-tunnel an expensive proposition

Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

“Maintaining the 17.6-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which connects the Eastern Shore of Virginia to Hampton Roads, is a tall order. Much of the maintenance is never seen by those who annual pay $45 million in tolls to cross it. The bridge’s ventilation system, scheduled for a two-year $7.8 million overhaul expected to begin in late March, is the facility’s second-most expensive capital project this year, yet to occupants of the 3.5 million vehicles that cross the facility annually, it will be invisible. ‘The public will not see any component of that work as they cross the bridge,’ said Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District Executive Director Jeff Holland. That holds true with much of the work that extends the life of the facility.

The bridge-tunnel exists in an unforgiving marine environment. Besides the daily pummeling by thousands of cars and trucks, it withstands hurricane-force winds, powerful waves and relentless currents. Yet most travelers rarely consider maintenance and preservation, except when those activities cause them delay. In 2013, the district spent about $14 million to preserve and maintain the bridge-tunnel, which itself is valued at about $424 million.”

~Writes Connie Morrison of Delmarva Now

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