Barges, tugs, boats and bridges. The HRBT Expansion Project team coordinates it all.  And the Team brings an impressive portfolio of experience to the project, including work in New York City, post 9-11. Learn more about managing the maritime works of the expansion project in the latest installment of HRBT Tunnel Talk.

A new bridge-tunnel project like the HRBT Expansion starts with environmental permitting.  And for this project, there are more than 22 permits that require various levels of approval and constant monitoring. That responsibility for VDOT falls with Larissa Ambrose, the project’s environmental manager.  In this edition of HRBT Tunnel Talk, we learn from Larissa about the many challenges of her job.

The HRBT Expansion Project is rolling out the welcome mat to the public. The project has an official Welcome Center which will soon be open for STEM learning, community engagement and meetings, tunnel history and more! Tune into HRBT Tunnel Talk for details on what you can expect to find at the HRBT Welcome Center.

HRBT Expansion Project Communications Director Paula Miller is joined by Project Director Ryan Banas, VDOT District Engineer Chris Hall, and HRTAC Executive Director Kevin Page on this episode that provides an overview of the Hampton Roads Express Lanes (HREL) network,  a continuous 45-mile network of Express Lanes on I-64, extending from west of Denbigh Boulevard in Newport News to the I-264/I-664 Bowers Hill interchange in Chesapeake, providing enhanced travel options to accommodate the future transportation needs of the Hampton Roads region.

HRBT Expansion Project Communications Director Paula Miller is joined by Project Director Ryan Banas for an update on the project, along with archeological experts David Lewes, Co-Director of William and Mary’s Center for Archeological Research, Adam Pritchard, Virginia Museum of Natural History’s Assistant Curator of Paleontology, and Will Moore, Virginia Department of Transportation’s Lead Archeologist. Learn about the historic and prehistoric finds, from shipwrecks to mastadon bones.

Project Director Ryan Banas joins Communications Manager Paula Miller to share the milestones achieved on the project this spring. VDOT Construction Engineer Lion Nitschke discusses tunneling progress for Virginia's first bored roadway tunnel and the process of turning the TBM around to start the second tunnel.

To celebrate International Day for Women in Maritime, the latest episode of HRBT Tunnel Talk features two project engineers, Linh Do and Sophia O'Brien, to talk about island expansion and bridge rehabilitation, while Project Director Ryan Banas provides an update on the project.

HRBT Tunnel Talk Host Brooke Grow is joined by Project Director Ryan Banas who provides an update on the progress across the project. Podcast guest, HRCP Project Manager Louis Brais provides the 411 on the progress of Mary, the Tunnel Boring Machine, under the channel as she works to construct VDOT's first bored tunnel for the HRBT Expansion Project.  Who knew that boring could be so exciting?

HRBT Expansion Project Communications Manager, Brooke Grow, provides an update on the construction progress. Special guests include VDOT District Senior Communications Specialist, Nina Ullrich, and City of Hampton Communications Strategist, Robin McCormick, to discuss the collaboration needed to coordinate multiple construction projects in Hampton.

HRBT Tunnel Talk Host Brooke Grow is joined by new Project Director Ryan Banas who provides an update on the project. Then Brooke explores the environmental aspects (fish and turtles and birds, oh my!) of the project with guests Larissa Ambrose, VDOT Environmental Manager, and Becky Gwynn, Executive Deputy Director of the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.