VIDEO: Chessie Breaks Through!

Image courtesy Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

Chessie, the giant TBM used for the CBBT’s Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel Project / Image courtesy Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
Chessie, the tunnel boring machine, has completed her over 6300-foot journey under Thimble Shoal Channel – at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Chessie reached her end destination Monday evening when mining was paused to allow the design-build contractor to remove the temporary bracing struts and steel beams that were in place. Wednesday morning Chessie then tunneled through the remaining portion of the receiving wall on Two Island. Chessie will be decommissioned and the Chesapeake Tunnel Joint Venture will begin to construct the roadway inside the tunnel.
Additional information from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel:
The completion of mining at Thimble Shoal Channel marks a significant milestone for this project. Chessie, the tunnel boring machine designed and built by Herrenknecht specifically for this project, has removed approximately 500,000 cubic yards of soil and installed nearly 10,000 concrete segments, each weighing 10 tons, since she began mining in February 2023.
Now that her job is complete, Chessie will be decommissioned and demobilized from the Parallel Thimble Shoal Tunnel project. CTJV will then begin to construct the roadway inside the tunnel, install the electrical/mechanical systems and construct the support buildings.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is a vital transportation link connecting the DelMarVa peninsula with the mainland in Virginia Beach. The new parallel tunnel will greatly enhance the safety and efficiency of this transportation infrastructure that welcomes more the 4 million vehicles each year. Once complete, the new tunnel will carry two lanes of southbound traffic while the existing tunnel will carry two lanes of northbound traffic. Current forecast for project completion is early 2028.
Chesapeake Tunnel Joint Venture (CTJV) is the design-build contractor for this project, comprised of Dragados USA and Schiavone Construction Company, LLC. The two sister firms are part of ACS Dragados of Spain, a worldwide leader in underground construction, having been awarded more than 550 underground projects and having completed more than 940 miles of tunneling through all types of geological conditions.
Video courtesy Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel