Fact Finder - General Knowledge

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) is a 28-kilometer-long (17.6 miles) crossing that connects Virginia's Eastern Shore with the Virginia Beach mainland. Opened in 1964, it was named one of the 'Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World.' The structure is unique because it combines low-level trestles, two high-level bridges, and two one-mile-long tunnels. The tunnels were necessary to allow deep-draft warships from the Norfolk Naval Base and commercial shipping to pass through the bay without the height restrictions of a bridge. The transition from bridge to tunnel occurs on four man-made islands, each roughly five acres in size. Drivers essentially disappear into the ocean and re-emerge minutes later, making it one of the most unusual and technically challenging highway systems ever built.