What went on off the Monitor Merrimac Bridge Tunnel?
A11: In November 2000 divers under contract to VDOT found what appeared to be a pallet of 155mm projectiles or casings. VDOT was in the process of surveying possible routes for a third crossing of the James River, and was investigating anomalies on the river bottom to avoid sites of historic significance. In June 2001, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk District and the Navy Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the Norfolk Naval Station completed their investigation of the possible Unexploded Ordnance (UXO). The area of investigation was several hundred feet West of the Monitor Merrimac Bridge Tunnel. After an extensive search that included side scan SONAR mapping and approximately 18 one-hour dives, the team did not locate any Ordnance and Explosives(OE). Initial results of other investigations in the James River near FNOD have found no OE and little to no contaminated sediments.
