Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel

Out of the five tunnels throughout Hampton Roads, Monitor-​Merrimac Memorial Bridge-​Tunnel (MMMBT) is my favorite. Opened in 1992 at a cost of 400 million dollars to build, the MMMBT connects Newport News to Suffolk. It carries half the amount of traffic each day as compared to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT). MMMBT travels on I-​664 and does not have a toll.
MMMBT was named after two Civil War ironclad warships who fought during the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 8 – 9, 1862. These two ships were the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia, but the latter had been rebuilt from the wreck of the USS Merrimack. The battle took place within 1-​mile of the future site.
Since I moved to Suffolk, I use MMMBT often to travel to Newport News and Hampton, or to head out to the Williamsburg area. The view is gorgeous: the Peninsula; the Newport News Marine Terminal and Shipyard; and Norfolk Naval Base – not to mention there are usually aircraft carriers out in the distant. I’ve never had to deal with traffic, however, I don’t go during rush hour. If you’re coming out west on I-​64, and you know the HRBT is backed up, you can hop onto the MMMBT. You could then get onto I-​264/​64 if you’re heading to Virginia Beach. (I-​264 is often closed during the weekend and has a toll, but I-​64 around Chesapeake has no tunnel and no toll.)
I am always amazed how tunnels are constructed; it took 7 years to build MMMBT. They used an immersed sunken tube method with 15 prefabricated segments that were each 300 feet long. MMMBT is 4.6 miles long, but the tunnel itself is 4,800 feet. If you are interested about more details, there is an interesting video about the building of MMMBT (
).
Restrictions:
* Maximum height: 14 feet 6 inches (with permit)
* Maximum width (with permit): 10 feet 6 inches
* Wider vehicles must be escorted by VDOT
**If you need info about the tunnel, or any other tunnel or road in Hampton Roads, call 511. It will give you current traffic and/​or road closures.

The Monitor-​Merrimac Memorial Bridge-​Tunnel is the *other* tunnel and bridge, located several miles to the west of the Hampton Roads one. Named as a memorial for the famous Civil War ships that fought in 1862 during the Civil War (or for you Southerners, the «War of Northern Aggression») only a mile or so from this spot.
From shore to shore, it is 4.6 miles long and marked as Interstate 664 in the area and is part of the Hampton Roads Beltway. Two lanes wide, the tunnel itself is 4800 feet long. There is no toll to use the tunnel.