A Bridge-Tunnel?
That's a wierd title. We know what a river-bridge is. When cruising the Blue Danube a couple years ago, at one point we sailed on a bridge with a highway running under us. It was strange to look down and see cars passing under us while we cruised along in our Viking River Cruise Ship. But a bridge-tunnel? What's that?
Today was free day - that is we decided we'd decide this morning. We thought about going to Kitty Hawk, N.C. but decided we didn't want a 2 1/2 hour drive each way. We thought about going to Virginia Beach and then we saw Cape Charles on the most eastern shore of Virginia on the map and did some research. Decision made.
Cape Charles is a small town and our decision came down to distance and a unique experience. To reach this small town meant we'd be crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel. The continuous portion of this connector is 17.6-mile on a fixed link crossing the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The roadway is an elevated bridge that is obviously above water, and in two spots it goes under water into a tunnel. Here's an aerial view.
Therefore, the name Bridge-Tunnel. About 1/3 of the way from the western shore, the bridge dives under water for a mile so ships can pass above, then the roadway comes up again and now we're on the bridge again. Then, 1/3 of the way further, down and under we go again and reappear on the bridge a mile later. With two tunnels, ships have a north bound and south bound lane.
We took this picture below from the bridge before going into tunnel #1. You can see a mile in the distance where we'll reappear.
To make the tunnels, workers first dug a ditch in the sand under the water and lined it with rocks. Then the tunnel, like the road, was delivered in pieces from a site on land. They lowered the tunnel pieces (plugged up, so no water would get in) into the ditch and connected them with concrete. They then unplugged the tunnel pieces so (of course) cars could drive through.
It took 4-years to complete and in 1964 it was named "one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world". What a cool bridge-tunnel.
We got to Cape Charles just in time for lunch at Kelly's Pub. Yes, Kelly's! Lunch and the Irish decor was great.
Then we did a little beach combing before heading back across the Chesapeake Bridge-Tunnel.
On our way back we decided to check out the boardwalk in Virginia Beach since it was only a few miles out of our way. You should notice we're wearing jackets because it was 55 degress and windy.
After todays adventures, we had dinner at Guiseppes Italian Restaurant. Home made pasta and meat sauce...yummy, yummy in the tummy! And, a special pasta dish for Karen.
Today was free day - that is we decided we'd decide this morning. We thought about going to Kitty Hawk, N.C. but decided we didn't want a 2 1/2 hour drive each way. We thought about going to Virginia Beach and then we saw Cape Charles on the most eastern shore of Virginia on the map and did some research. Decision made.
Cape Charles is a small town and our decision came down to distance and a unique experience. To reach this small town meant we'd be crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel. The continuous portion of this connector is 17.6-mile on a fixed link crossing the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The roadway is an elevated bridge that is obviously above water, and in two spots it goes under water into a tunnel. Here's an aerial view.
Therefore, the name Bridge-Tunnel. About 1/3 of the way from the western shore, the bridge dives under water for a mile so ships can pass above, then the roadway comes up again and now we're on the bridge again. Then, 1/3 of the way further, down and under we go again and reappear on the bridge a mile later. With two tunnels, ships have a north bound and south bound lane.
We took this picture below from the bridge before going into tunnel #1. You can see a mile in the distance where we'll reappear.
To make the tunnels, workers first dug a ditch in the sand under the water and lined it with rocks. Then the tunnel, like the road, was delivered in pieces from a site on land. They lowered the tunnel pieces (plugged up, so no water would get in) into the ditch and connected them with concrete. They then unplugged the tunnel pieces so (of course) cars could drive through.
It took 4-years to complete and in 1964 it was named "one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world". What a cool bridge-tunnel.
We got to Cape Charles just in time for lunch at Kelly's Pub. Yes, Kelly's! Lunch and the Irish decor was great.
Then we did a little beach combing before heading back across the Chesapeake Bridge-Tunnel.
On our way back we decided to check out the boardwalk in Virginia Beach since it was only a few miles out of our way. You should notice we're wearing jackets because it was 55 degress and windy.
After todays adventures, we had dinner at Guiseppes Italian Restaurant. Home made pasta and meat sauce...yummy, yummy in the tummy! And, a special pasta dish for Karen.
If all goes well, we should be home tomorrow night.
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