gauge interest in pursuing a public-private partnership to help build the parallel Midtown Tunnel and extend the MLK Freeway to I-264. At the time, the project did not include any work at the Downtown Tunnel. Of the three companies that responded, two of the companies, one being the company that ultimately bid on the current project (Skanska), referred to a study funded earlier in the year noting that the only possible way of making the project financially feasible was to toll the Downtown Tunnel as well as the Midtown Tunnel for construction costs. VDOT then began soliciting bids from private companies to partner with the state in executing the Elizabeth River Tunnels Project, which now included the rehabilitation of the Downtown Tunnel) through Virginia's Public Private Transportation Act. Elizabeth River Crossings, the company formed by interested party Skanska with additional capital by Australian investment company Macquarie Group, submitted their proposal to VDOT. After the lengthy review process required under the PPTA, then-Governor Bob McDonnell and VDOT executed the Comprehensive Agreement with ERC on December 5, 2011.[15][16] Under the agreement, VDOT retains ownership and oversight of the tunnels, while ERC finances, builds, operates and maintains the facilities for a 58-year concession period. Under the agreement, the work on the Downtown Tunnel consisted of different items based on NFPA 502 standards, work which includes: Removing the suspended ceiling of the eastbound tunnel (the westbound tunnel suspended celling was removed in 2011 due to safety concerns) Removing old lighting and replacing with energy-efficient LED lighting Installing a new longitudinal ventilation system with eight sets of jet fans (16 total each tunnel), Removing police booths and other cosmetic level rehab work. Work on the westbound tunnel began on August 9, 2013. Rehabilitation work on the eastbound tunnel began on July 25, 2014. The completion date of the Downtown Tunnel rehabilitation work was November 3, 2016. References Road tunnels in Virginia Toll tunnels in Virginia Tolled sections of Interstate Highways Intracoastal Waterway Transportation in Norfolk, Virginia Transportation in Portsmouth, Virginia Tunnels completed in 1952 Immersed tube tunnels in the United States