Full Notification

Tunnel closure scheduled Sunday, April 26, 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

The Elizabeth River Tunnels Project team will close the Midtown Tunnel in both directions to conduct tide gate testing on Sunday, April 26, from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. The scheduled testing and related maintenance allows crews to safely check facility operations including:

• Tide gate operation and procedural review
• Machinery review and water-seal inspection
• Structural review of the elements that allow the gate to be lowered
• Electrical testing for both the primary and emergency power sources
• Inspection of all pumps, valves and controllers

During the tunnel closure, traffic will be detoured to the Interstate 264 (I-264) Downtown Tunnel.

Tide gate testing at the Midtown Tunnel is a regularly scheduled component of routine tunnel maintenance and is conducted at a time that will have the least impact on traffic. The last test was performed November 16, 2014.

Motorists are encouraged to visit www.va511.org, call 511 or listen to Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) 1680 AM or call the VDOT Traffic Information Line at 757-361-3016 for current traffic and travel information.

The Elizabeth River Tunnels Project in Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia, provides critical transportation infrastructure to the Hampton Roads region. It involves design, construction, finance, operations and maintenance responsibilities for a new Midtown Tunnel and MLK Freeway Extension; existing tunnel rehabilitation; interchange modifications; and incident response, snow removal and roadway repairs for more than 50 lane miles within the project area. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia, this public-private partnership is comprised of Elizabeth River Crossings OpCo, LLC and the Virginia Department of Transportation. For more information, visit http://www.DriveERT.com or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DriveERT.