About Local Bridges

James River Bridge

The northernmost main bridge is called the James River Bridge.  When completed in 1928, the 4.5-mile bridge was the longest bridge in the world over water. The original two-lane bridge was replaced from 1975 to 1982 with a wider four-lane bridge that could handle increased traffic volumes.
When the northbound lanes of the new bridge opened the old bridge was demolished, but a 0.75-mile section on the Newport News side was retained for use as a fishing pier. Now known as the James River Pier, it is the longest fishing pier on the East Coast.
In 2005, the bridge carried an annual average daily traffic of about 30,000 vehicles per day.

Here is a video from a ship passing under the lift gate in the middle of the James River Bridge.

James River Pier

Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel

The MMMBT is named for the two ironclad warships which engaged in the famous Battle of Hampton Roads on March 8–9, 1862, during the US Civil War. The battle took place between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia. The latter ship had been rebuilt from the wreck of the USS Merrimack. The site of the battle was within 1 mile of the bridge–tunnel structure named by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a memorial.The MMMBT, completed in 1992 provided a third major vehicle crossing of the Hampton Roads harbor area.  It cost $400 million to build, and it includes a four-lane tunnel that is 4,800 feet long, two man-made portal islands, and 3.2 miles of twin trestle

It is a four-lane bridge–tunnel composed of bridges, trestles, man-made islands, and tunnels under a portion of the Hampton Roads harbor where the James, Nansemond, and Elizabeth Rivers come together. It connects the independent cities of Newport News on the Virginia Peninsula and Suffolk in South Hampton Roads.

The MMMBT, completed in 1992 provided a third major vehicle crossing of the Hampton Roads harbor area.  It cost $400 million to build, and it includes a four-lane tunnel that is 4,800 feet long, two man-made portal islands, and 3.2 miles of twin trestle

Hampton Roads Tunnel Bridge

The easternmost of the 3 main bridges is called the Hampton Roads Tunnel Bridge. Prior to 1957, folks would ferry across the mouth of the James River to get to the Virginia peninsula.  The bridge is a 3.5-mile long four-lane facility comprising bridges, trestles, man-made islands, and tunnels under the main shipping channels for Hampton Roads harbor. The tunnel in the center section to allow for ships to pass over the road without interrupting traffic,

An average of 88,000 vehicles a day were using the crossing in 2008, with volumes exceeding 100,000 during the tourist season, well exceeding the original design capacity of 77,000 vehicles per day.  Currently the city is looking at the best way to expand this 4 lane bridge into a 6 lane bridge to help meet this demand.