Elizabeth River Tunnels Project

Rehabilitation work on the Midtown Tunnel is well underway. Elizabeth River Crossings (ERC) was awarded the project in December, 2011, through Virginia’s Public Private Transportation Act. Under the agreement, which is part of a 58-year partnership, VDOT retains ownership and oversight of the tunnels. ERC finances, builds, operates, and maintains the facilities. ERC completed the installation of the new tunnel six months ahead of schedule and has now scheduled 24 hour, full weekend closures on the eastbound side of the old tunnel to minimize any traffic delays during the work week.

Tri-State Utilities’ contract was to rehabilitate 7,500 lf of 8″ and 15″ Steel Spiral Wound Pipe that was encased in 18″ of concrete. Terra Verde TM CIPP, a styrene free, Non-VOC environmentally friendly Cured-In-Place Pipe (VDOT approved) was chosen for the project. The result has been a like new finished pipe in a continuous form, fitting tight to the host pipe.

The construction plan also included demolition and restoration of drainage inlets that provided the necessary installation points for the CIPP Liners. The biggest challenge for the digging crew was to chip away enough concrete out of the basin to accommodate and enable the CIPP Liner to invert through 90 degree turns. As Craig Welsh reflected, The demolition of the storm drain basins allowed our crews to maximize Lining Time and minimize restoration time.” The tunnel closes at 9:00 pm Friday nights, re-opens at 5:00 am Monday mornings, and must be fully functional and ready for traffic. Tri-State Utilities expects to finish the CIPP rehabilitation portion of the project before the Memorial Day Holiday. ERC’s Jimmy Eanes states, “Tri-States’ portion of the project has gone very well and is ahead of schedule.”

Categorised in: News & Events, Tri-State Utilities

This post was written by Tri-State Utilities