In response to the 1973 General Assembly House Joint Resolution 197 requesting that the Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety develop ways and means of providing for an emergency plan to deal with the halt of the flow of traffic on the bridges and bridge tunnels in the Tidewater area, an emergency plan has been developed which includes three components:

(1) A plan for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel District comprising prevention, repair, movement of passengers and freight, detours signing and notification, and which provides for specific assignments of responsibility and coordination of activities of several agencies.

(2) A plan for repair, signing, and detours of the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel facilities to be carried out by the Division of Tidewater Toll Facilities of the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation(*1) in coordination with that Department's Suffolk District.

(3) A plan for signing and detouring of bridges and tunnels located in the Cities of Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach to be carried out by the respective cities, except for Suffolk which is to be carried out by the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation as this Department maintains the bridges in Suffolk.

These three plans were developed during 1973 and 1974 and are supported with appendices. The most critical facility is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, not only because of past accident experience but because of the specific arrangements necessary for the emergency movement of passengers and freight.

This movement can be accomplished through Piedmont Airlines and Piedmont Aviation Corporation (passengers, mail, and medical supplies) and Norfolk, Baltimore, and Carolina Boat Lines Inc. (freight, including tractor-trailers). These companies have proven reliability and capability to perform the required functions and could begin operations within 48-hours' notice. (NBC Lines via a tugged LST and Piedmont, through either a 44-passenger Fairchild or continuous use of a six-passenger plane until the Fairchild became available.) Maximum expenditures for required freight and passenger services would be $10,000 per day.(*2)
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(*1) The Virginia Department of Highways will become the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation on July 1, 1974; and since this Plan will not become effective before that date, the latter designation is used.

(*2) Specific estimates are $3,000 for one round trip of NBC Lines, LST, or $3,500 for two round trips - LST capacity being approximately 20 tractor-trailers per trip. For the Piedmont Fairchild (44-passengers capacity), costs are $1,200 for a one-time ferry fee from North Carolina, a $400 minimum idle-time charge per day, and $800 per round trip or $2,000 per day for 88-passengers round trips (two-plane round trips), and $2,800 per day for 120-passenger round trips. The six-passenger plane costs $100 per round trip, so delivering 48-passenger round trips for $800 per day; two additional round trips may be possible thereby delivering 60 passenger round trips along with some baggage and limited freight at a cost of $1,000 per day. Costs are therefore estimated to be, at maximum, $3,500 for freight; $2,800 for passenger or $6,300 per day with a $1,200 one-time ferry fee; $10,000 is used so that unforeseen contingencies would be covered.