Read the original article on WHRO's website.
2027: That’s when the Virginia Department of Transportation says the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project will be completed.
The new completion date is part of a renegotiated deal VDOT reached with the construction company tasked with the project, the agency announced Thursday.
Officials have been meeting with the project's construction company since 2022, when Hampton Roads Connector Partners told VDOT it “encountered unforeseen cost and schedule impacts since signing the contract in 2019,” according to a news release.
The costs of building materials rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, though they are expected to stabilize this year.
The $3.9-billion effort broke ground in 2020 and was originally planned to be done by the end of 2025. VDOT said it's the largest highway construction project in the state’s history.
Last summer, the company asked for nearly $1 billion more and 600 additional days to finish the build. At the same time, VDOT officials said the project was halfway done.
In addition to a later completion date, the new deal will have VDOT pay for certain construction elements, if the costs are higher than when the bid was made. The contractor will give the state a credit, if work costs less than originally planned.
Hampton Roads Connector Partners can still get a $90 million early-completion bonus if it can reach substantial completion — meaning the road and tunnels are ready to open to cars — by September 2026.
The new agreement indicated the project has to be substantially complete by February 2027 with a final completion of all outstanding work or lingering issues by August 2027.