Monitoring the largest highway construction project in Virginia’s history

• Client: HRCP JV (Flatiron Dragados & Vinci Construction Grand Projects)

• Industry: Infrastructures and Transportation

The HRBT Expansion Project is a $3.9 billion construction Project that will ease traffic congestions along a nearly 10-mile corridor on the I-64 through the addition of twin, two-lane bored tunnels under the Chesapeake Bay, island reclamations, trestles and road widening. The HRCP JV, as a main contractor, needed to implement a strong and reliable monitoring system to ensure that all the adjacent existing structures and the new ones remain safe and in good condition during construction.

Alava International, in partnership with Hana Engineers, delivers a comprehensive, 360-degree Instrumentation and Monitoring service, acting as the project’s official Engineer of Record (EOR). Our dedicated team of civil engineers, geotechnical specialists, and surveyors does far more than just ensure the proper functioning of the system.

Our core mandate is to translate raw data from over 5,000 instruments into actionable intelligence. This end-to-end service includes:

• Continuous data interpretation to identify trends and potential risks.
• Active alarm management to ensure immediate response to any threshold exceedance.
• The formal issuance of PE-stamped engineering reports, providing certified analysis.
• The proactive proposal of risk mitigation strategies based on our findings.

By managing everything from data integrity to stakeholder coordination, we transform the I&M program from a simple measurement tool into a critical, data-driven asset for project management and decision-making.

Results:

After years of monitoring, we achieved a fully understanding of the behavior of every structure of the project, providing the Construction and Design JVs and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) with the real-time collected data and its interpretation, and supporting the design and construction phases of the project.

Value of partnership

When the instrumentation and monitoring team takes part of the daily operations, working together with the construction and design teams, the different operations and activities move forward smoother and safer, increasing the confidence of the client.

The Value of an Integrated I&M Partner

For this project, a strategic decision was made to go beyond the simple installation of monitoring hardware. Instead, a dedicated on-site engineering team was established to oversee the entire I&M program, providing a holistic and proactive service.

Our Approach: From Raw Data to Actionable Intelligence

Our philosophy is fundamentally different. By embedding an engineering team on-site, we provided a continuous, expert-led service focused on one primary goal: turning complex data into clear, actionable intelligence.

This model makes a critical difference compared to merely installing sensors and systems. It is about giving meaning to the data and proposing structural or operational actions based on that analysis. Throughout the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion project, our team was responsible for:

• Continuous Data Analysis: Constantly reviewing incoming data to identify trends, anomalies, and emerging risks.
• Contextual Interpretation: Correlating data with daily construction activities to understand cause-and-effect relationships.
• Proactive Reporting: Delivering clear, concise reports that highlighted not just what the data was, but what it meant for the project.
• Driving Decisions: Providing expert recommendations to optimize construction sequences, enhance safety protocols, and validate design assumptions.

This integrated partnership ensured that the monitoring system was a dynamic and vital tool, directly contributing to the project’s safety, efficiency, and ultimate success.

Incorporating the I&M engineering team on-site allows the fully implementation of the instrumentation and monitoring system on the day-to-day activities, especially monitoring and engineering wise. The fact that there is always a team taking care of the system have a positive impact on the confidence of the client, who knows that all the data is being analyzed 24/7.

Statements:

“Having the Alava Instrumentation and Monitoring engineers integrated into our daily operations was a major advantage for the project. From the time they joined the team, they demonstrated strong technical knowledge, responsiveness, and professionalism.

Their close collaboration with our construction and design teams, as well as with the client, built strong trust and helped maintain efficient coordination throughout the project. Their commitment to safety and quality contributed to a safer and smoother project execution.

Most importantly, their reliability and expertise strengthened the client’s confidence in the project’s progress and the quality of the work delivered.

Jess Ely Tabang Sr.

HRCP – I&M Project Engineer

(HRBT Expansion – Norfolk, VA)”