HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — The demolished bridges from the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel expansion project are getting a new purpose at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay.
About 100,000 tons of demolished concrete material from the project will go towards building up artificial reef sites in the bay, according to Virginia Marine Resources Commission artificial reef specialist Hunter Smith.
“That bridge has served the Hampton Roads region for a really long time,” Smith said. “I mean, I’m sure everybody around has traveled across it once or twice, and now it’s serving us in another way, offering habitat where it’s much needed.”
Smith said they’ve done two deployments of the material so far, at Blue Fish Rock Reef and Black River Reef.
“What is happening is [the Virginia Department of Transportation has] an expanse of concrete material, being piles, girders, bridge sections, things of that nature that they’re demoing from the old bridge and then building the new bridge,” Smith said. “Those demo pieces, they have agreed to donate to us,” Smith said. Hampton Roads Connector Partners, Seaward Marine and VMRC are all working together to make this project possible.
The hope is to bring new life to these recycled materials, with officials saying the deposits will enhance biodiversity, support fisheries, protect the coastline and much more.
“You’re basically creating habitat for things to live, things to feed your whole, and kind of own, little ecosystem,” Smith said. “And that, in turn, offers a really great opportunity for divers and anglers to go out and enjoy the resources in these places.”
Smith added that the concrete is already made to be in the water, so it’s a great addition to the reefs.
VMRC’s app shows all off the artificial reefs that exist in the Bay, including the ones being built up by this project. Smith said that they have 23 reef sites in total, with 17 being in the Bay.
He hopes that they can start bringing even more materials out on a regular basis as the expansion project continues.
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