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Bridge in Suffolk to Newport News, Virginia
| Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel | |
|---|---|
 Southbound side of the tunnel in 2006 | |
| Coordinates | 36°56′27″N 76°24′06″W / 36.940837°N 76.401672°W / 36.940837; -76.401672 |
| Carries |  I-664 |
| Crosses | Hampton Roads |
| Locale | Suffolk to Newport News, Virginia |
| Maintained by | Virginia Department of Transportation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Composite: low-level trestle, double-tube tunnel, artificial islands |
| Total length | 4.6 mi (7.4 km) |
| Clearance above | 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m) |
| No. of lanes | 4 |
| History | |
| Opened | April 30, 1992; 32 years ago (April 30, 1992) |
| Location | |
The Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel (MMMBT) is the 4.6-mile-long (7.4 km) Hampton Roads crossing for Interstate 664 (I-664) in the southeastern portion of Virginia in the United States. It is a four-lane bridge–tunnel composed of bridges, trestles, artificial islands, and tunnels under a portion of the Hampton Roads harbor where the mouths of the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth rivers come together.
It connects the independent cities of Newport News on the Virginia Peninsula and Suffolk in South Hampton Roads and is part of the Hampton Roads Beltway, a circumferential Interstate Highway which links the seven largest cities of Hampton Roads.
The MMMBT, completed in 1992, provided a third major vehicle crossing of the Hampton Roads harbor area, supplementing the Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel which carries I-64 between the independent cities of Hampton and Norfolk (1957), and the James River Bridge connecting the independent city of Newport News and Isle of Wight County in the South Hampton Roads region (1928).
The MMMBT cost $400 million to build, and it includes a four-lane tunnel that is 4,800 feet (1,500 m) long, two artificial portal islands, and 3.2 miles (5.1 km) of twin trestle.
Battle of Hampton Roads
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The MMMBT is named for the two ironclad warships which engaged in the famous Battle of Hampton Roads on March 8–9, 1862, during the US Civil War. The battle took place between USS Monitor and CSS Virginia. The latter ship had been rebuilt from the wreck of USS Merrimack. The site of the battle was within one mile (1.6 km) of the bridge–tunnel structure named by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a memorial.
See also
References
- Rand McNally "The Road Atlas", 2005.
External links
- Roads to the Future website
- Kurumi's website about 3 digit interstates connecting with I-64
- Virginia Dept. of Transportation: Hampton Roads Tunnels and Bridges
- Snopes.com discussion about photo
- Google Maps
| Transportation in the Hampton Roads Region | |||||||||||
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| Administered by HRTPO, HRTAC, CBBT Commission, VDOT and Commonwealth Transportation Board | |||||||||||
| Water crossings |
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| Aviation, rail and transit services |
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| Crossings of the James River / Hampton Roads | ||||
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| Bridge–tunnels | |
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| Asia | |
| Europe | |
| North America | |
36°56′27″N 76°24′06″W / 36.940837°N 76.401672°W / 36.940837; -76.401672
Categories:- Bridges completed in 1992
- Road tunnels in Virginia
- Bridge–tunnels in North America
- Buildings and structures in Newport News, Virginia
- Transportation in Newport News, Virginia
- Transportation in Suffolk, Virginia
- Buildings and structures in Suffolk, Virginia
- Monuments and memorials in Virginia
- Tunnels completed in 1992
- Road bridges in Virginia
- Immersed tube tunnels in the United States
- Crossings of the James River (Virginia)
- Trestle bridges in the United States
- Bridges on the Interstate Highway System