VDOT chief: Human error led to huge tunnel backup

HAMPTON

Human error, not mechanical failure, appears to be the reason a ruptured water main inside the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel went undetected for many hours, eventually flooding the westbound lanes and causing a massive July 2 traffic jam.

David Ekern, commissioner of the Virginia Department of Transportation, said Monday that the tunnel's staff had multiple chances to detect the leak before 1.1 million gallons filled the tunnel's lower chamber and spilled onto the roadway.

When asked if anyone was at fault, Ekern said, "I really can't comment on it because it's a part of an investigation that is probably going to result in some personnel actions.... The mechanical systems worked. We had a pipe failure. There were alarms and warnings, and we had somewhere between three and four opportunities to interdict."

Ekern made the comments outside the first meeting of a panel of 11 public works, transportation and emergency response experts that he organized to review the incident and recommend improvements to bridge-tunnel operations.

As the panel of experts was conducting its inquiry, Ekern said a separate VDOT team also was examining the procedures and actions during the July incident. The internal investigation likely will not complete its work for four weeks or more "because it is more personnel-related and therefore I've got due-process issues," he said.

VDOT has rerouted the water line around the break area until officials decide how to fix the system. They are studying whether to spend $7 million to $9 million to replace the entire 52-year-old water main or conduct other repairs, said Dwayne Cook, VDOT's regional operations director.

As early as this week, VDOT will install water-level alarms inside the lower chamber to detect any future problems with flooding, Cook said.

The tunnel shutdown, which sparked a massive regional traffic tie-up, began when the pipe burst some time July 1. It wasn't until 6:15 a.m. July 2 that the tunnel control room notified the maintenance staff that standing water was detected at the lowest point of the westbound traffic lane. Eleven minutes later, all westbound traffic was stopped.

Almost seven hours later, VDOT workers were able to reopen one lane, and at 7:37 p.m., both lanes opened.

VDOT officials later determined that an 8-inch cast-iron pipe that supplies water to fire hydrants in the tunnel had burst open near an air flue that ventilates a 7-foot-tall chamber beneath the tunnel roadway. Rushing water from the break overwhelmed pumps that were designed to handle a much smaller volume of storm water.

While no one has determined exactly when the pipe burst, Ekern said, VDOT records show there was a warning of a problem as early as 9:24 p.m. July 1 - more than eight hours before the water reached the ceiling of the lower chamber.

Ekern said a pump that supplies water to the fire main had automatically switched on at

9:12 p.m. July 1 and was still on at 9:24 p.m., causing HRBT operators to notify their maintenance staff. The pump may have turned on because the water main broke, he said.

"Those are clear indicators that people should have picked up on even without the more sophisticated sensors," Ekern said.

Ekern told the panel of experts, which met at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, that VDOT officials do not believe the rupture of the water main was linked to any failure to properly inspect the tunnel.

"We are continuing to review tunnel maintenance records and inspection reports, but we believe the pipe failure was not due to any dereliction of mechanical testing or inspection," he said. "It will probably take us several more weeks to fully understand all the contributing factors that led to this breakdown. But we are committed to identifying and reducing those risks."

State officials have said the water main that burst was last inspected in 2006 and, under national fire regulations, wasn't due to be checked again until 2011.

"The pipe had passed its latest pressure test," Ekern said. "The question remains, however, of whether additional testing should be ordered on a regular basis for a tunnel of this type and/or age."

Meanwhile, the independent review panel spent much of Monday discussing VDOT's tunnel operations and the July incident. The group also took a private tour of the lower chamber of the bridge-tunnel. VDOT officials said national security concerns prohibit public access to the chamber.

Cook and other VDOT officials told the panel that the public shouldn't worry about its safety in the region's bridge-tunnels.

"These are older systems. They have problems. That's a fact of life.... But they are safe," Cook said. "If they weren't safe, they would be closed."

The review panel is expected to meet again in late August and September before issuing a report.

Bill Bartel, (757) 446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com