A Message from the Project Director |
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When we broke ground in October 2020 it was hard to envision the day we would see the project site end-to-end with work underway. While 2022 proved to be a year with numerous achievements, this coming year is on track to produce even more impressive accomplishments.
This past month construction crews made final preparations to allow the opening of the new temporary South Island eastbound marine trestle. This trestle will temporarily carry traffic coming out of the eastbound tunnel so crews can begin demolition of the existing bridge. That demolition will allow crews to continue pile driving for the new permanent trestle and begin the necessary expansion of the South Island.
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The Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) assembly continues on South Island. On January 13th the 46-foot diameter cutterhead was lowered into the launch pit and attached to the TBM.
Weighing more that 475 tons this was no small accomplishment, requiring two cranes and literally absolute precision. With the cutterhead in place, assembly will continue until the on-site operations testing is possible.
Once all the testing is completed, the TBM will begin it’s journey to the North Island.
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Beyond the marine work, crews continue to make progress on bridge rehabilitation activities underneath the Willoughby Bay, Mason Creek and Oastes Creek bridges, as well as all the bridge and roadway widening activities. While somewhat routine in nature, the landside widening work is the enabler for the new bridge tunnel capacity.
I invite you to stay connected and follow our project progress. We appreciate the public’s patience during construction activities and our lane closures that are necessary to allow crews a safe zone to work in.
Jim Utterback
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Rear view of the TBM front shield and its access platforms for crews to bolt concrete
segments together after installation
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The Cutterhead at the front of the TBM |
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New marine trestles taking shape along
I-64 East near Willoughby shoreline
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Stay in Place forms along I-64 |
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Meet Mary's Counterpart, Katherine |
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Over the past few months, you have heard a great deal about Mary the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) as she is being reassembled within the South Island Launch Shaft. In the coming months she will begin boring the first of the two tunnels.
No doubt, Mary is a very important component of the HRBT Expansion Project. However, she has a counterpart who is equally important to the tunnel construction aspect of the project – and her name is Katherine, our Slurry Treatment Plant (STP).
Katherine, named in honor of Katherine Johnson (a mathematician and “human computer” at NASA Langley Research Center whose calculations of orbital mechanics played a key role in the first manned spaceflight by Astronaut John Glenn in 1962), was a NASA colleague of Mary Jackson, for whom the TBM is named. For her outstanding contributions to the U.S. space program, Katherine received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2019.
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The "STP" equipment box, on the South Island, paying homage to Katherine Johnson |
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The STP, which was manufactured by the French company MS, is a critical component of the tunnel mining operation. It is responsible for supplying slurry (a mixture of water and bentonite clay that assists with the excavation of soil) to the TBM during the mining process and will also separate and filter the excavated soil upon its return to the STP. The de-sanding unit of our STP is one of the largest in North America, is electric powered, and will operate 24 hours a day while the boring process is underway. Given the length of the tunnel, it can take up to 15 minutes for excavated material to reach the STP for treatment before the filtered bentonite slurry is sent back to the machine. |
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Mary and Katherine work together to remove and treat silt, sand and clay during the tunnel mining process effectively and efficiently. The excavated soil will be barged away and the process will operate continuously. A true example of working together to achieve a common goal: Mary depends on Katherine, and Katherine depends on Mary – and neither can be successful without the support of the other. |
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HRBT Tunnel Talk: A "Boring" Podcast |
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Green is not just one of the colors of the TBM Cutterhead! "Green" is how we approach tunneling on the HRBT Expansion Project.
On the next episode of HRBT Tunnel Talk, learn how the Slurry Treatment Plant (STP) functions in the tunnel boring process and how reusing, recycling and reducing is a driving force of boring operations.
Stay tuned to HRBT Expansion Project social media channels to learn when the podcast drops!
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Equipped to Build: "Big Red" |
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The HRBT Expansion Project is a giant among transportation projects and it's going to take a “heavyweight” like our big red crane on the South Island to help move the project forward.
The massive red crane pictured below is situated on the South Island with the sole purpose of providing heavy lifting capacity (up to 750 tons), configured here with 26 cables in its main lifting hoist. This crane has a movable counterweight for flexibility and mobility in a limited construction workspace, all a necessity for the project team working within the confines of the South Island footprint.
Recently the crane moved several pieces of the tunnel boring machine (TBM), including the assembled cutterhead as seen below.
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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: Safety to the Core |
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The safety of motorists and project team members is the number one priority for the HRBT Expansion Project.
So much so that the project houses a 24/7 occupational health clinic onsite for project personnel, staffed by Core Occupational Medicine, a leader in providing health services in the industrial/construction industry, offering services nationwide and in Canada.
Project personnel have the benefit of a fully equipped clinic onsite to handle an array of medical concerns from pre-employment screening, physicals, fitness for duty evaluations, and treating minor on-the-job injury and illness. Located at the project’s Willoughby site, the clinic is staffed by four fulltime employees including a Physician’s Assistant, a Nurse Practitioner, and two Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT). The medical staff can also order x-rays and send employees for additional testing.
While the Core medical staff are not considered first responders for purposes of this project, they are well skilled in triaging the range of situations that can arise on a large construction project. If an injury occurs on the job that does not rise to the level of an emergency room visit, the injured party goes the onsite clinic for treatment. From there the team will make an assessment and treat accordingly.
Proactive in their approach, the medical team works closely with the project’s safety team during employee orientation and ongoing training. The collaboration allows for a patient-centered and project-centered approach. Here are two members of the team who make it happen day to day.
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Karen Callaway, Nurse Practitioner
Originally from Ohio, Karen came to Virginia due to her husband’s military career and has been in Virginia more than half her life. Prior to working on the HRBT Expansion Project, Karen worked in emergency medical transport at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD). Karen graduated from her master’s program in early 2020, at the height of the pandemic.
It was the managing partner of Core Occupational Medicine who recognized Karen’s potential value to the team which led to her current role on the project. Karen’s love of people and seeing the overall progression in their care plans is what keeps her excited about the job.
Mom of three adult children and grandmother of six, in her down time, when she is not traveling to see the grandbabies, Karen enjoys crocheting an array of items from blankets to sweaters…mostly for the grandchildren!
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Kelsey Shirk, Physician’s Assistant
By the time Kelsey was in the 2nd grade, she had moved around quite a bit. But it was her father’s military career that brought her to Chesapeake, VA. Like most military families, being in an area for more than 10 years, Kelsey considers Hampton Roads, home.
While she was always interested in the medical field, Kelsey did not want to spend a decade in school. Being a Physician’s Assistant was right step to take.
A graduate of Virginia Tech (Go Hokies!) and Jefferson College of Health Sciences, Kelsey was looking to remain in Coastal Virginia upon graduation, closer to her family who remain here and to the water of course! After a few years of working in an emergency room, much like her colleague Karen, Kelsey learned about the medical team for the HRBT Expansion project and immediately applied. “What a unique opportunity, right here in my hometown!” Kelsey recalled when she saw the announcement.
Mom to be (she’s expecting this spring), Kelsey enjoys spending time with her family and her fur-baby, a large Doberman Pinscher.
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Lights, Camera, Expansion! |
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Interested in the daily activity at the HRBT Expansion Project? Wondering about the widening? Excited about the expansion? Now available on the HRBT Expansion website, citizens can view images from the project cameras located throughout the project corridor. |
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Get In the Know, and Then Go! |
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Sign Up To Receive Updates! |
Sign up for the HRBT Expansion Project Alerts to get weekly updates on traffic and construction impacts. Perfect way to “know before you go!”
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The HRBT Expansion Project team is committed to staying connected with the region for the life of the project. Like, join, follow, or tweet about the project on our social media channels. |
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