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Now that is some cool engineering: a bridge that becomes a tunnel. The Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel is a 4.6 miles (7.4 km) crossing for Interstate 664 in Hampton Roads, Virginia, USA. It is a four-lane bridge-tunnel composed of bridges, trestles, man-made islands, and tunnels under a portion of the Hampton Roads harbor where the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth Rivers come together in the southeastern portion of Virginia.
It was completed in 1992, after 7 years of construction, at a cost $400 million, and it includes a four-lane tunnel that is 4,800 feet (1,463 m) long, two man-made portal islands, and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) of twin trestle.
Photos by Virginia Department of Transportation. Details from wikipedia. Google satellite view of the bridge-tunnel.
Related: Extreme Engineering - Cool Falkirk Wheel Canal Lift - The Dynamics of Crowd Disasters: An Empirical Study - A ‘Chunnel’ for Spain and Morocco - Swiss dig world’s Longest Tunnel
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October 21st, 2008 at 9:01 am
Absolutely surreal. Are there glass panels down there where you can see whats down in the ocean? And won’t it be more cost effective just to build a regular bridge?
October 21st, 2008 at 10:02 am
1) No glass panels
2) I am sure it would be less costly to just continue the bridge when looking at the cost of the road. However, there is a large port, so I am guessing this was the best solution to let ships into the port and have a road.
October 21st, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Like the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, it makes sense in the bay because of all the deep draft ships that are in transit. It is not as freaking going into the tunnel part as it is getting stuck behind a mobile home driving at 20 MPH on the bridge part.
December 29th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
This is absolutely amazing. I want to drive down to Virginia just to go over/under it!
January 5th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Although on a more selfish note it did increase the price of the land in Northern Suffolk Virginia. Although the other reason for the tunnels are being able to get carriers in and out. Ever been UNDERNEATH carrier, its something to think about.