The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is owned by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia created by the General Assembly. The District is not part of Virginia’s regular highway system, does not answer to the state Department of Transportation, and is not a private company. Day-to-day ownership authority is exercised by the District’s governing board, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission.1Virginia Code Commission. Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District and Commission
What Kind of Owner the District Is
Virginia law designates the District as a political subdivision of the Commonwealth, which gives it many of the same legal powers a city or county holds. The District can sign contracts, sue and be sued in its own name, and take private property through eminent domain for purposes tied to the facility.1Virginia Code Commission. Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District and Commission
The District and the Commission are closely linked in practice. The District is the legal owner. The Commission is the board that acts for it. When news reports describe “the Commission” setting tolls or approving construction, they are describing the body that exercises ownership on the District’s behalf. That arrangement keeps toll revenue, maintenance decisions, construction contracts, and regulations under one roof instead of split among state agencies.
The authority for all of this lives in Chapter 22 of Title 33.2 of the Code of Virginia. That chapter created the District, defined its boundaries, and set out exactly what the Commission can and cannot do. The Commission runs independently from day to day, but the General Assembly wrote its powers and can amend or revoke them.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 33.2-2203 – General Powers of the Commission The Commission cannot expand its own authority, invent new types of fees, or move its boundaries without the legislature.
Who Sits on the Commission
Eleven members, appointed by the Governor of Virginia and confirmed by both houses of the General Assembly, make up the Commission. Each serves a four-year term. The seats are tied to specific localities so that communities nearest the crossing always hold representation.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 33.2-2202 – Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission
- Accomack County: two members
- Northampton County: two members
- Virginia Beach: one member
- Norfolk: one member
- Portsmouth: one member
- Chesapeake: one member
- Hampton: one member
- Newport News: one member
- Commonwealth Transportation Board: one member
Every appointed member must live in the county or city they represent. The Commonwealth Transportation Board seat keeps a direct link to statewide transportation planning. The other ten belong to residents of the Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore communities that live with the crossing’s traffic and economic effects. The board sets toll rates, approves major construction contracts, and adopts the regulations that govern what vehicles and cargo can use the facility.
What the Owner Can Do
The most consequential power is toll-setting. The Commission can fix, revise, and collect tolls for using the crossing, and no other state board or agency can override those rates.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 33.2-2211 – Revenues That independence is written into the statute and is central to how the facility stays financially self-sustaining.
Beyond tolls, the Commission controls the crossing’s physical footprint. It decides the location, size, and capacity of any new construction. It controls which entry and exit points exist and can close access at any point it deems unsafe. It can buy or condemn property in the District’s name, hire contractors, and spend money advertising the facility to travelers. A catch-all provision authorizes the Commission to do what is necessary to carry out its duties.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 33.2-2203 – General Powers of the Commission
How an Owner With No Tax Base Pays the Bills
The bridge-tunnel runs on its own revenue. The original crossing was built in the early 1960s with $200 million in revenue bonds sold to private investors, with future toll collections pledged to repay them. No local, state, or federal tax money went into the construction.5Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District. History The same model continues today. The facility generated roughly $73.8 million in toll revenue during the twelve months ending March 2025.6Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District. CBBT March 2025 Quarterly Report
Under the statute, tolls must be set high enough to cover operating costs, maintenance, and the principal and interest on any outstanding bonds. Toll revenue is pledged directly to bondholders the moment it is collected, with no additional paperwork required. Revenue bonds issued by the District are not backed by the full faith and credit of the Commonwealth. If toll revenue falls short, Virginia taxpayers have no legal obligation to cover the shortfall.7Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 33.2-2208 – Revenue Bonds
One caveat on the self-funding picture. A Virginia legislative audit found that the state provides close to $1 million annually in urban street funding for the facility. Small compared to overall toll revenue, but worth knowing for anyone who assumes zero tax dollars flow to the crossing.8Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. The Future of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
Who Enforces the Law on the Crossing
Ownership comes with police power. The Commission operates its own police department with full arrest and enforcement authority across the entire facility. Virginia law lets the Commission appoint officers who can issue summonses, make warrantless arrests for violations witnessed in real time, and enforce both Commission regulations and state traffic laws on the bridges, tunnels, toll plazas, and approaches.9Virginia Code Commission. Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District and Commission – Section 33.2-2205
Criminal cases arising on the crossing can be heard in the courts of either Virginia Beach or Northampton County, since the facility spans the boundary between them. State and local police from any jurisdiction the crossing passes through keep their full powers within the project’s limits, so Commission officers are not the only ones who can act.10Virginia Code Commission. Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District and Commission – Section 33.2-2220