greatly exceeds its original capacity, hours of congestion are both a routine and daily occurrence at the crossing. Floodgate failure In September, 2003, the Midtown Tunnel was flooded and seriously damaged by Hurricane Isabel. The facility is equipped with floodgates designed for closure to protect it from flooding during extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes. As flood waters were rising during the storm, workers were unable to remove plates that were both bolted and tack-welded to the roadbed. As a result, the flood gates could not be completely closed and the tunnel filled with an estimated 44 million gallons of water. The tunnel suffered substantial electrical and mechanical damage, but was not damaged structurally. It was closed for nearly four weeks as water and sediment was pumped out, systems inspected, and essential repairs were completed. It was later determined that managers of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) had failed to adequately test the floodgates. VDOT revamped its operating procedures at all of its tunnels in the wake of the incident. Studies of additional harbor crossings have also gained additional attention since then. Expansion, Rehab and Elizabeth River Crossings Public Private Partnership After numerous studies and legislative attempts to fund the project publicly, Governor Bob McDonnell and VDOT in 2011 contracted with Elizabeth River Crossings (ERC) to build a new Midtown Tunnel, rehabilitate the existing Midtown Tunnel as well as the Downtown Tunnels, and extend the Martin Luther King Freeway. Under the agreement VDOT retained ownership and oversight of the tunnels, however ERC will finance, build, operate and maintain the facilities for a 58-year concession period. ERC will also assume risk of delivering the project on a performance-based, fixed-price, fixed-date contract, protecting users and taxpayers from cost overruns and delays. Funding is expected from tolls, private equity, contributions from the Commonwealth and a low-interest Federal Highway Administration loan. Operation of the tunnel system was turned over to ERC on July 12, 2012. Construction and rehabilitation Fabrication on the new Midtown Tunnel began in November 2012 in Sparrows Point, Maryland. The tunnel's 11 concrete elements were towed down the Chesapeake Bay to the Project site in Portsmouth for immersion and placement under the Elizabeth River. By March 2015, the first six elements were in place and production of the remaining five tunnel elements was in progress. Once the new tunnel was constructed, traffic in the existing Midtown Tunnel was converted to