HRBT Expansion Project's first gantry extracted and lifted

The HRBT Expansion Project celebrated another milestone Tuesday, they're calling it the 'Big Lift.'

The first of four gantries was extracted from the receiving pit and lifted out onto the North Island where it will be turned around and placed back into the receiving pit to join Mary on her journey boring the second tunnel.

Mary the Tunnel Boring Machine exited the tunnel and made her U-turn back in June. Work on the second tunnel will begin in September of this year.

Watch previous coverage: HRBT expansion could finish by September 2026

Motorists traveling along I-64 near the tunnel Tuesday afternoon may have caught a glimpse of the gantry in mid-air, a spokesperson said.

Two 800-ton cranes were used to lift the gantry, which weighs 385 tons.

At $3.9 billion, the HRBT Expansion Project is the largest in the history of the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The project is expected to wrap up in February of 2027. However, there is a $90 million incentive fpr the contractor if they finish work by September of 2026.

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