2019 Map of Chesapeake Channel

About this map

Virginia Beach and the southern waters of the Chesapeake Bay are dominated by the massive engineering of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. This 2019 survey captures the critical transition where the surface roadway of the Chesapeake-Bay Brg Tunl descends into the Chesapeake Channel Tunnel, allowing deep-draft maritime traffic to pass over the highway. The map illustrates the complex seafloor topography of the bay's mouth, where maritime navigation is dictated by submerged features such as Inner Middle Ground, Middle Ground, and the shallow waters of White Shoal. To the northwest, the Intracoastal Waterway and the North Channel provide protected routes for smaller vessels navigating the coast. This map serves as a precise record of one of the world's most significant bridge-tunnel systems at the border of Northampton Co and Virginia Beach.