Chapter 61. Rules and Regulations Governing the Transportation of Hazardous Materials Through Bridge-Tunnel Facilities
24VAC30-61-10. Applicability and purpose.
This chapter applies to all state owned bridge-tunnel facilities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and establishes the rules by which all interstate, intrastate, and public and private transporters of hazardous materials are governed while traveling through these facilities.
Statutory Authority
§§ 33.2-210 and 33.2-300 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR385-01-05:1 § 1; Volume 12, Issue 2, eff. November 15, 1995.
24VAC30-61-20. List of state-owned bridge-tunnel facilities in the Commonwealth.
The following table lists the six state-owned bridge-tunnel facilities in the Commonwealth. The Virginia Department of Transportation owns and operates all six facilities listed. A list of telephone numbers for each facility is available at the following website: https://www.vdot.virginia.gov/travel-traffic/freight/hazmat/.
Name of Facility | Route |
Big Walker Mountain Tunnel | Interstate 77 |
East River Mountain Tunnel | Interstate 77 |
Elizabeth River Tunnel-Downtown | Interstate 264 |
Elizabeth River Tunnel-Midtown | Route 58 |
Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel | Interstate 64 |
Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel | Interstate 664 |
For purposes of this chapter, the facilities listed above are classified into two groups: rural and essentially distanced from bodies of water, and urban and essentially proximate to bodies of water.
Statutory Authority
§§ 33.2-210 and 33.2-300 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR385-01-05:1 § 2; Volume 12, Issue 2, eff. November 15, 1995; amended, Virginia Register Volume 17, Issue 17, eff. June 6, 2001; Volume 28, Issue 1, eff. October 12, 2011; Volume 40, Issue 19, eff. May 6, 2024.
24VAC30-61-30. Restrictions on hazardous material transportation across rural and distanced-from-water facilities.
The two rural and distanced-from-water tunnel facilities are: the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel and the East River Mountain Tunnel. For these two tunnels, and these two only, no restrictions apply on the transport of hazardous materials, so long as transporters and shippers are in compliance with 49 CFR 100 through 180, and any present and future state regulations which may become in force to implement the federal regulations. In addition, the Commissioner of Highways may, at any time, impose emergency or temporary restrictions on the transport of hazardous materials through these facilities, so long as sufficient advanced signage is positioned to allow for a reasonable detour.
Questions on this section of the regulation should be directed to the VDOT Office of Safety, Security and Emergency Management, which can be reached by calling VDOT at 804-786-4692. Copies of the regulation will be provided free of charge. For copies, please write to:
Virginia Department of Transportation
ATTN: Office of Safety, Security and Emergency Management
1221 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Statutory Authority
§ 33.2-210 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR385-01-05:1 § 3; Volume 12, Issue 2, eff. November 15, 1995; amended, Virginia Register Volume 28, Issue 1, eff. October 12, 2011; Volume 28, Issue 4, eff. November 23, 2011; Volume 40, Issue 19, eff. May 6, 2024.
24VAC30-61-40. Restrictions on hazardous material transportation across urban and water-proximate facilities.
Hazardous materials are regulated in the four urban and water-proximate tunnels (Elizabeth River (Midtown and Downtown), Hampton Roads, and Monitor-Merrimac) based exclusively on the "hazard class" of the material being conveyed. The following tables list those categories of materials grouped under the designations "Prohibited," "No Restrictions," or "Restricted."
Regulations concerning the transportation of hazardous materials across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) are available from the CBBT website: https://www.cbbt.com/regulations/#hazmat.
*PROHIBITED* Materials defined in the following classes are not allowed passage through the four urban, water-proximate tunnels. | |||
CATEGORY | PLACARD NAME | PLACARD REFERENCE | |
1.1 | Explosives 1.1 | 49 CFR 172.522 | |
1.2 | Explosives 1.2 | 49 CFR 172.522 | |
1.3 | Explosives 1.3 | 49 CFR 172.522 | |
2.3 | Poison Gas | 49 CFR 172.540 | |
4.3 | Dangerous When Wet | 49 CFR 172.548 | |
6.1 (PG I, inhalation hazard only) | Poison | 49 CFR 172.554 | |
Materials in the following hazard classes are not restricted in the four urban, water-proximate tunnels. | |||
CATEGORY | PLACARD NAME | PLACARD REFERENCE | |
1.4 | Explosives 1.4 | 49 CFR 172.523 | |
1.5 | Explosives 1.5 | 49 CFR 172.524 | |
1.6 | Explosives 1.6 | 49 CFR 172.525 | |
2.2 | Nonflammable Gas | 49 CFR 172.528 | |
3 | Combustible Liquids | 49 CFR 172.544 | |
4.1 | Flammable Solid | 49 CFR 172.546 | |
4.2 | Spontaneously Combustible | 49 CFR 172.547 | |
6.1 (PG I or II, other than PG I inhalation hazard) | Poison | 49 CFR 172.554 | |
6.1 (PG III) | Keep Away From Food | 49 CFR 172.553 | |
6.2 | (None) | ||
7 Radioactive | Radioactive | 49 CFR 172.556 | |
9 | Class 9 | 49 CFR 172.560 | |
ORM-D | (None) | ||
Materials in the following hazard classes are allowed access to the four urban, water-proximate tunnels in "Non-bulk" (maximum capacity of 119 gallons/450 liters or less as a receptacle for liquids, a water capacity of 1000 pounds/454 kilograms or less as a receptacle for gases, and a maximum net mass of 882 pounds/400 kilograms or less and a maximum capacity of 119 gallons/450 liters or less as a receptacle for solids) quantities per container only. | |||
CATEGORY | PLACARD NAME | PLACARD REFERENCE | |
2.1 | Flammable Gas | 49 CFR 172.532 | |
3 | Flammable | 49 CFR 172.542 | |
5.1 | Oxidizer | 49 CFR 172.550 | |
5.2 | Organic Peroxide | 49 CFR 172.552 | |
8 | Corrosive | 49 CFR 172.558 | |
Statutory Authority
§§ 33.2-210 and 33.2-300 of the Code of Virginia.
Historical Notes
Derived from VR385-01-05:1 § 4; Volume 12, Issue 2, eff. November 15, 1995; amended, Virginia Register Volume 17, Issue 17, eff. June 6, 2001; Volume 28, Issue 1, eff. October 12, 2011; Volume 40, Issue 19, eff. May 6, 2024.