The Longest, Most Impressive Bridge In Virginia Can Be Found Near The Town Of Cape Charles
By Beth|Published April 14, 2020
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Beth
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A lifelong Virginia resident, Beth loves exploring different parts of the world and currently resides in Charlottesville. She holds a degree in English Literature and one of her short stories has been featured in the Shenandoah Review. Other interests include hiking, songwriting, and spending time in the mountains.
When people think of Virginia’s famous bridges, it’s usually the tallest ones or the historic covered ones that come to mind. And while High Bridge Trail and Humpback Bridge are certainly worth a visit, we might argue that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is even more impressive. This 17.6-mile bridge-tunnel is a true feat of engineering and crossing it can only be described as exhilarating. Here’s more on the longest, most impressive bridge in Virginia that has existed since April 15th, 1964.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connects the Tidewater region of Virginia to the Delmarva Peninsula and Eastern Shore. Chances are, if you've crossed this bridge once, you'll remember the journey forever.
The term bridge-tunnel, as you may have guessed, refers to the fact that the structure functions as both a bridge and an underwater tunnel. It was completed in 1964 and cost $200 million dollars to build.
Upon its completion, the bridge-tunnel was quickly recognized as one of the world's seven engineering marvels by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The bridge-tunnel complex is made up of several parts, namely 12 miles of low-level trestle, 2 one-mile-long tunnels, 2 bridges, 2 miles of causeway, 4 manmade islands, and 5-1/2 miles of approach roads. (Data shared by the CBBT website.)
Before completion of the bridge, cars that needed to make the commute from the peninsula to the mainland -- or vice versa -- would rely on ferries that could only shuttle 60 cars at a time.
There are places where the tunnel is a mile under the water of the Chesapeake Bay. This allows ships to safely cross over without delay or interference.
The time it takes to travel from one end of the bridge-tunnel to the other is approximately 25 minutes. There's even a scenic overlook pull-off where travelers can stretch their legs and enjoy the surrounding scenery.
