[Published in its original form]

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is located in one of the foremost historical and recreational areas of the Nation, a mecca for tourists from around the world. From Virginia Beach, with its miles of sandy beach and sport fishing fleets, to Richmond, Capital of the Confederacy; from Jamestown, first permanent English settlement, and Williamsburg, Colonial Capital of Virginia, to NASA’s Wallops Island, missile launch center—truly history meets the “Age of Tomorrow.”

The oldest brick home in North America, built in 1631, is near the southern terminus of our facility. A few miles from the northern terminus are stored the oldest continuous court records in the United States, dating from 1632. Ten major military installations are to be found within a radius of a few miles of our facility, including the Norfolk Naval Base, the world’s largest and headquarters for NATO’s Naval Command.

All of this presents our officers a distinct challenge and opportunity for service in describing these various points and directing travelers to them. 

Widely acclaimed as an engineering masterpiece, this highway facility is 19.6 miles long and is composed of two tunnels, each burrowing under a major ship channel; four man-made islands, each 8 acres in area; two bridges; over 12 miles of trestle supported upon concrete pilings; causeways; and approach roads.

Since ours is a toll facility, a toll plaza is located at each terminus. Each plaza is manned continuously by not less than three officers. Depending upon traffic volume and other factors, this number often is increased.

Similarly, each mile-long tunnel is manned by two patrolmen, one of whom is on standby in the emergency garage while the other conducts foot patrol in the tunnel, walking along a catwalk which extends from one end of the tunnel to the other. These men alternate their posts, usually on a 2-hour basis.

All tunnel patrolmen are thoroughly trained in the operation of the two emergency vehicles in each garage, a combination wrecker-firefighting unit and a 10-ton wrecker.

These tunnel patrolmen not only render service to patrons, but also support our maintenance division with traffic direction within the tunnels and on the tunnel approaches while necessary preventive maintenance is being accomplished.

Records Maintained

Records of all patron services rendered are maintained, primarily for statistical purposes. It is interesting that during 1964-65 we serviced an average of 1 in every 800 vehicles using the facility. During 1968, this ratio improved to 1 in 1,100 vehicles.

In spite of this improvement, our officers continue to note the lack of concern some motorists have for the mechanical condition of their automobiles. It is not uncommon for a patrolman to assist a vacationing family, often from a distant State, their vehicle filled with children and luggage, with a flat tire, no spare, and the three remaining tires worn beyond safe limits.

On a facility such as ours, as well as on any highway, a disabled vehicle is a distinct hazard. Rapid location and quick removal of the obstruction are vital to traffic safety and are major goals of our patrol activity.

The waters around the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel facility are highly productive fishing grounds, and our patrolmen keep a constant watchful eye on the commercial and pleasure boats surrounding the facility, especially the pleasure craft which flock by the hundreds to fish along the trestles and around the four man-made islands. Occasionally, some of these watercraft have problems from mechanical failure, lack of fuel, or a plain lack of seamanship. In many cases, our officers have been able to render service by sounding the call for the U.S. Coast Guard. In other instances, the public address system, with which each patrol unit is equipped, has been useful in summoning other boats to the assistance of one in trouble.

The internal telephone system connects all portions of the facility and is available to patrons for emergency use by means of phone boxes installed every one-half mile on the trestles and every 125 feet in the tunnels.

The external telephone system links the bridge-tunnel complex with the outside world and, through a system of extensions, provides a backup network for the internal telephone system.

We have never suffered a complete communication blackout, in spite of our facility having been struck once by a ship and twice by drifting barges. Although commercial telephones and electric service were severed, we maintained communications by radio with electrical power supplied by a network of emergency generators at strategic points. These generators supplied power for emergency lighting, heating, and communications for several days until commercial service was restored. 

Service to the Public

We have the option of bringing violators before either of two separate court jurisdictions. One is the city of Virginia Beach and the other, some 35 miles north, is Eastville in Northampton County. We usually take an out-of-State violator to the court which is in the direction of his travel. For instance, if a violator were traveling south, he would be referred to the city of Virginia Beach. If the violator is a resident of Virginia or of a reciprocal State, he may be released on a summons and directed to appear in that court most convenient to his residence in order that he not be required to pay an additional toll to appear in court.

Safety Record

We have an enviable motor vehicle safety record. It is not unusual for us to span several months each year without a single vehicle accident. In fact, our accident frequency decreased 18 percent in 1968 as compared with 1967. We attribute this record to our constant patrol methods and the parking of our patrol units at various locations in such a way that the traveling public may observe them from either direction for a considerable distance. In addition, at times during peak traffic periods, we park an unmanned, marked patrol car at various locations on the facility, and this we believe has a distinct effect on a large portion of the traveling public.

We know there are many pros and cons on the use of a warning notice for minor traffic violations by enforcement agencies; however, its use seems to be working very well for us. We keep a card file on each warning notice issued, and prior to an officer’s issuing a warning notice, he checks the name and license number with our police dispatcher on duty. To my knowledge, a previous recipient of a warning notice has never been stopped for another infraction on this facility. These warning notices are used primarily where a verbal warning would be sufficient. However, it is our opinion that many verbal warnings given by officers end in arguments and thus defeat the purpose for which the violator was originally stopped by the officer.