Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel
Bridge in Suffolk to Newport News, Virginia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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.
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (May 2023) |
Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel | |
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Coordinates | 36°56′27″N 76°24′06″W |
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 total: 2 northbound lanes, 2 southbound lanes |
History | |
Opened | April 30, 1992; 31 years ago (April 30, 1992) |
Location | |
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). All three facilities are toll-free.
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.