Chesapeake Bay Bridge Gridlock Looms—Discover the Best Times to Cross & Alternate Routes Before Your Weekend Trip

Early-morning tractor-trailer plunge closes Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel southbound lanes VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – A Perdue Farms tractor-trailer crashed through the guardrail of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) around 6:30 a.m. Sunday, February 15, sending the rig into the North Channel and killing the driver. The incident shut down all southbound lanes for several hours while dive teams searched the 25-foot-deep channel and wreckage crews worked to remove debris; northbound traffic was reduced to a single lane. Wind restrictions had been in place overnight, a factor investigators are examining alongside possible driver fatigue and mechanical failure. Bridge-Tunnel officials say Sunday’s tragedy marks the seventeenth over-the-edge crash since the CBBT opened in 1964, re-igniting calls for higher concrete barriers and automated wind-speed shutdowns. The district confirmed it will fast-track a $45 million safety-improvement design already under environmental review. What travelers should know today • Southbound CBBT traffic is detouring via the I-64 Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel; allow an extra 45–60 minutes. • Northbound CBBT motorists should expect 10- to 15-minute delays until full two-lane service resumes this evening. • Oversize and high-profile vehicles remain prohibited whenever sustained winds top 40 mph. Separate lane closures on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Bridge this week Farther north, the Maryland Transportation Authority is closing alternating lanes on the US 50/301 Chesapeake Bay Bridge nightly from February 15 through 21 for steel repairs and cable inspections. Crews will employ two-way traffic operations between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.; motorists heading to Maryland’s Eastern Shore should budget 20 extra minutes and check the MDTA DriveEzMD app for live camera feeds. Expansion study enters public-comment phase Long-term congestion relief is also inching forward. MDTA hosted the first in-person hearing last Tuesday on preliminary designs for a new western span that would add four lanes and a shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians; a second public session is scheduled for Thursday evening in Annapolis, with written comments accepted through March 10. Tips to avoid backups during peak bridge season • Cross before 8 a.m. or after 10 p.m. on summer Fridays. • Use Route 301 via the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge as an Eastern Shore alternative. • Sign up for text alerts from CBBT (CBBTalerts.com) and MDTA (#BayBridge). • Keep E-ZPass transponder batteries fresh; dead tags trigger manual-toll backups. Bottom line With a fatal crash disrupting the CBBT and scheduled maintenance narrowing Maryland’s Bay Bridge, drivers should reroute or travel off-peak this week. Monitoring wind advisories, downloading official apps, and planning detours can shave an hour off coastal trips while regional agencies work on both emergency fixes and long-range capacity upgrades.