The Bay Bridge Tunnel

* * The Bay Bridge Tunnel * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * By: Ryan Goldberg * Class: Drafting 3 * Date: 10-14-12 * * * * The CBBT (Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel) is a 17.6-mile long composite bridge composed of low-level trestles, high-level trestles, single-tube tunnels, and truss bridges. It was commissioned to be built in 1960 and funded by the Chesapeake Bay Ferry Commission with revenue bonds and private investors. Contracts for building were given to Tidewater Construction Corporation and Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corporation. * The Ferry Commission first looked at a fixed crossing in 1956. The navy objected the first concept of a high-level bridge because the thought of a collapse would block a large portion of the Atlantic fleet would be blocked from the ocean. This was addressed with the idea of a bridge-tunnel, the two tunnel sections were placed where the two main shipping channels were. These tunnels were anchored with 4 man-made islands that are 5 acres each. * Traffic increasing lead to the investigation of a parallel crossing in 1987. In 1989 a study projected that a parallel crossing would be mandatory by the year 2000. 1991 began the project and revenue bonds were sold to finance the engineering of this massive project. On May 4, 1995 plans were confirmed and a construction contract was given in the amount of $197 million to a joint venture. The venture consisted of PCL Civic Constructors, Inc. of Denver, CO, GA and Interbeton, The Hardware Company of Columbus, and Inc of Rockland, CO, to build the second bridge. * In 1964 the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was chosen as one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world. Its was selected because of how unique it is and the amount of different structures used in a single crossing. It has been taken off that