NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – Heavy rain and storms that swept through the area Sunday evening caused some major flooding at the Downtown Tunnel, including inside the tunnel.
VDOT cameras show workers in the tunnel trying to clean up the flooding following the storm, which caused lane closures and traffic delays.
Stan Glaser was heading home after a funeral in the Churchland area of Portsmouth when he ran into flooding in the tunnel.
“When you got in the middle of it that’s where it was flooded,” said Glaser. “I could hear it coming from under the frame the lights and hitting on here. I’m going to is this going to make it.”
The retired Chesapeake paramedic said he was surprised to see water that high.
“I was thinking about getting through it without getting into an accident,” Glaser said.
Kay Sharp was on her way to her friends birthday party in Virginia Beach when she parked her car in the tunnel.
“Some of the cars were going through, but I sat there,” Sharp said. “There was a nice man, I don’t know who he is, I should have got his name. I told him ‘I could not go through that water.’ I knew I was not going to make it. So he was nice enough to pull me over to the left side.”
Sharp said she waited for about two-hours for VDOT workers to direct her to safely turn around.
“I was terrified,” Glaser said. “That was one of my biggest fears, but I conquered it going through the tunnel and something happen. But it will be a while before I go through the tunnel.”
A spokesperson for Elizabeth River Crossings sent this statement to 10 On Your Side’s Kiahnna Patterson:
“On Sunday around 5:30 p.m., one of the pumping systems at the eastbound Downtown Tunnel experienced a power surge. The pumps stopped working as a result. Traffic continued through the tunnel until about 6 p.m. At that time, it was determined to be unsafe for drivers. Around 7:45 p.m., the right lane reopened and the tunnel fully reopened at 8:30 p.m. The safety of our motorists is our #1 priority. During severe weather, it’s important for all motorists to follow advisory messages on the roadways and detour instructions from tunnel personnel. 511 Hampton Roads remains the best source for real-time traffic updates.”
Carley Brierre with ERC
Although those storms have already swept through the area, WAVY’s Super Doppler 10 Meteorologist Jeremy Wheeler said that there is another batch of severe weather expected for the Hampton Roads area Monday.
The temperatures and the humidity are high Monday, with the heat index expected to hit over 95 degrees. Along with these warmer temperatures comes severe weather, with heavy rain and storms arriving in the evening.
