Midtown Tunnel to close early Sunday for floodgate test

Early risers planning to use the Midtown Tunnel on Sunday should plan on delays or, better, use an alternate route.

The Virginia Department of Transportation said Thursday that it will close the tunnel from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. to test the floodgates. Motorists should plan on using the Downtown Tunnel as an alternate route during that time.

Prior to the testing, one eastbound lane of the Midtown Tunnel will close from 5 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. for maintenance repairs and to prepare for the testing, said Luefras Robinson, a VDOT spokeswoman. Traffic in each direction will alternate using the single open lane.

Both lanes of the tunnel will close at 6:30 a.m. Once the gate test is complete, the eastbound lane will remain closed for maintenance from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Traffic will again alternate in the single open lane.

Tests of the floodgate, which is on the Norfolk side of the tunnel, have been conducted regularly ever since 2003 after the tunnel was flooded with 44 million gallons of water during Hurricane Isabel. It was closed for a month while it was drained and all its electronic systems were replaced.

VDOT workers, at significant risk to their safety, had tried to close the gate as floodwaters rose near the tunnel, but were unable to secure it properly before water began spilling into the tunnel.