Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel Drafting Services

The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion, with a total budget of $3.8 billion, is the largest highway construction project in Virginia history. The construction effort, scheduled for completion in November 2025, will widen 10 miles of four-lane roadway along the I-64 corridor in Norfolk and Hampton while adding two new tunnels across the harbor. The result will be increased capacity, major congestion relief, and enhanced travel time reliability.

EBA’s ongoing efforts for this massive undertaking include producing design plans for interior structures of the twin tunnels along with utilizing OpenBuildings (a design and energy analysis software) and Bluebeam Revu to update design plans for the South Island and North Island portals. Additional work involves creating several 3D models for the Fire Life Safety package. Recently created models include those for the jet fans, dampers, egress doors, booster fans, access hatches, and air quality sensors in the tunnels, as well as egress corridor pressurization fans and dampers at both island portals.

A project of this magnitude requires careful planning, along with creation and implementation of standards to maximize cost efficiencies. EBA has minimized production hours and rework through the following:

• 3D coordination of the North Island, Tunnels, and South Island structural packages with the Fire Life Safety package
• Using a single CAD reference file approach that automatically applies a change in one file to other applicable locations
• Developing customized tools in OpenBuildings to facilitate standardized plan development and quality control
• Creating tables and schedules that link OpenBuildings with Excel, enabling automated adjustments of project components across both software
• Strict adherence to project design development standards