Cape Charles, Va.  –   The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel District (CBBTD) will be conducting two public information sessions on May 29 and May 31.  The sessions will provide an overview of several large projects that are being conducted on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.

The project with the most immediate public impact will be the Tunnel Retrofit Project, which is scheduled to start on June 4, 2007.  Conrad Brothers, Inc. was recently chosen through a competitive bidding process to perform various repairs to cracked and delaminated wall tile and to remove and replace deteriorated doors and wall niches throughout the interior of the Thimble Shoals Tunnel.  The $3.2 million project will last for about one year.  Work will be conducted only at night but travelers can expect up to 15 minute delays between 9pm and 6am starting on Sunday nights and ending early on Friday mornings.

The E-ZPass Implementation Project will provide payment convenience to customers in addition to increasing the throughput at the toll plazas.  This contract to implement electronic toll collection via the E-ZPass system was awarded to TRMI Systems Integration of Accord, NY earlier this year.  The project is currently on schedule with an aggressive completion date of November 2007.  The construction timetable and explanation of transponder methodology will prove to be informative for session attendees.

There are several other projects that will be discussed at the information sessions.  These include the ongoing Substructure Repair Project, which involves both maintenance and structural repairs to more than 600 concrete cylinder piles across the facility.  All work on this project is being conducted from the water so no traffic delays are expected.  The Rest Area Expansion that includes an Eastern Shore Welcome Center and refurbished restroom facilities will be discussed.  As well, the Scour Remediation Project that is currently being designed with a construction start date in late 2007 will be showcased at the informational sessions.

The two Eastern Shore public information sessions will be held on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 from 6pm to 8pm at Little Italy Restaurant’s Sinatra Room in Nassawadox and on Thursday, May 31, 2007 from 6pm to 8pm at the Shore Financial Corporation’s Community Room in Onley.  Anyone needing more information may contact the CBBT at (757) 331-2960 on weekdays between 8:00am and 4:30pm.