Hampton Roads Commute and Housing

Where should you live in Hampton Roads if your base is across the water?

Start with which side of the water your base is on.Hampton Roads has bases on both sides of the harbor. A drive from one side to the other crosses the water.

This page shows the ways across, what is under construction right now, and how to test a home before you choose it.

Defense Department and Virginia sourcedChecked October 2026

Start Here

Two sides of the water

People ask where to live in Hampton Roads. The more useful question is which side of the water you will drive to, and which crossing gets you there.

Military OneSource puts these bases on the Peninsula, north of the harbor: Langley Air Force Base in Hampton and Fort Eustis in Newport News, which together are Joint Base Langley-Eustis, and Naval Weapons Station Yorktown.

It puts Naval Station Norfolk on the Southside, south of the harbor. It puts Naval Air Station Oceana and Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, and Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth. Hampton Roads has other bases too.

Military OneSource tells travelers going from the Peninsula's airport to Naval Station Norfolk to allow extra time for traffic and possible delays at the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel.

Know your side before you choose a home. Military OneSource says Army members assigned to Fort Story check in first at Fort Eustis, about 50 miles away, and the assignment may change there. So they may not know their side until they check in.

We are not going to pick an area for you. What we can show you is what each drive depends on, from what the Navy, the Air Force, Military OneSource and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) publish.

Sources: Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Naval Weapons Station Yorktown, Naval Station Norfolk, Naval Air Station Oceana, Little Creek-Fort Story and Naval Support Activity Portsmouth overviews, Military OneSource. All retrieved 13 October 2026.

The Ways Across

Three ways across the harbor

VDOT's bridges and tunnels page lists three crossings between the Peninsula and the Southside. Each one links the two sides.

Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT), Interstate 64

VDOT says it connects Hampton and Newport News to Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and does not charge a toll. Military OneSource's directions to Langley from Norfolk go through it, and so do its directions to Naval Station Norfolk and Little Creek from Interstate 64 East. It is under construction now (see below).

Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel, Interstate 664

VDOT says it connects Newport News and Hampton to Suffolk and Chesapeake, does not charge a toll, and typically carries about half the daily traffic of the HRBT. VDOT calls it a practical, less congested alternative.

James River Bridge, Routes 17, 258 and 32

VDOT says it connects Newport News and Isle of Wight County, and is free. It is a lift bridge. VDOT says it opens when a ship needs it, at any hour.

Know which crossing your drive depends on before you compare homes.

The Southside has water inside it too. The Elizabeth River runs between Norfolk and Portsmouth. VDOT says the Downtown Tunnel and the Midtown Tunnel cross it and charge a toll that depends on the time you travel and how you pay. VDOT names the High Rise Bridge on Interstate 64 in Chesapeake as a toll free way across the river's Southern Branch.

If two people in your home work on different sides of the water, the home has to work for both drives. Test it both ways.

Sources: Hampton Roads bridges and tunnels, VDOT, last updated 27 May 2026. Joint Base Langley-Eustis and Little Creek-Fort Story overviews, Military OneSource. All retrieved 13 October 2026.

Right Now

What is under construction at the HRBT

This work is underway now. We last checked it on 13 October 2026. The live sources below are more current than this page.

VDOT is expanding the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. It is adding a third lane and a drivable shoulder each way on Interstate 64, from Mallory Street in Hampton to Patrol Road in Norfolk, and building new twin tunnels across the water. VDOT posts weekly lane closures for the work.

Why it matters for a home: a drive through the HRBT that you test during the work may change when it is done.

We are not going to guess when it ends. VDOT's project page gives no end date.

Check these before you drive it:

511 Virginia, VDOT's live traffic and cameras.
The HRBT expansion's traffic alerts, VDOT's weekly lane closures.

Sources: About the HRBT Expansion Project and Traffic alerts, VDOT. Both retrieved 13 October 2026.

Use This On A Specific Address

Test an address against your report time

Four questions. Ask them about a specific address, before you fall in love with it.

Report time

Does this route work at the hour you actually report, rather than at midday? Check the route at your hour, not at the hour it is convenient to drive it. In Hampton Roads, check the crossing at that hour too, and the other crossing you would use if it is slow.

Gate

Which gate does this route depend on, and is that gate operating in that window? Check the current gate hours rather than assuming. The Navy posts them for Naval Station Norfolk, and Joint Base Langley-Eustis posts them for Langley and Fort Eustis. For other bases, ask your sponsor or your new command.

Nights and weekends

Does your access route change outside standard hours? At Naval Station Norfolk, the Navy's gate page lists gates that close on weekends and holidays. Check whether the gate your route uses is one of them.

Household logistics

What other fixed stops happen before or after the commute? A second drop-off or pick-up can matter more to the shape of a day than the miles do. In Hampton Roads, that can include someone in your home who works on the other side of the water.

Already own a home here? If new orders put your base on the other side of the water, ask the same four questions about the home you have.

Sources: Naval Station Norfolk gate hours, U.S. Navy. Base access and gate hours, Joint Base Langley-Eustis. Both retrieved 13 October 2026.

The Boundary

What this page does not decide

It does not pick an area for you. It gives you a way to test an address against your own report time.
It does not rank areas of Hampton Roads, or one side of the water over the other. It compares crossings and gates. Which area suits a household is not something a web page can know.
It does not list gate hours or toll rates. They change, and the Navy, the Air Force and VDOT post the current ones.
It does not predict when the HRBT work ends. VDOT's project page gives no end date.
It does not know your job. Where you report is yours to supply, and everything here depends on it.

A page can tell you which questions to ask.Someone who works this market can help you decide what to do with a home you already own.

Dani Brinson is a Mission Ready Operator who helps military homeowners in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Suffolk and Portsmouth work out what to do with the house when orders arrive.

See the operator page How we verify operators

Last reviewed October 2026 · Maintained by My Military HQ

Common Questions

Questions Hampton Roads military families ask

Where should I live in Hampton Roads if my base is across the water?

It depends on which side of the water your base is on, and which crossing your drive would use. Military OneSource puts Langley Air Force Base and Fort Eustis on the Peninsula, and Naval Station Norfolk on the Southside. Test a specific home by driving to your gate at the hour you report. My Military HQ does not rank areas of Hampton Roads.

What are the ways across the water between the Peninsula and the Southside?

The Virginia Department of Transportation's bridges and tunnels page lists three: the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel on Interstate 64, the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel on Interstate 664, and the James River Bridge on Routes 17, 258 and 32.

Do the Hampton Roads tunnels charge a toll?

Some do. As of October 2026, the Virginia Department of Transportation says the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel do not charge a toll, and the James River Bridge is free. The Downtown and Midtown tunnels between Norfolk and Portsmouth charge a toll, and the rate depends on the time you travel and how you pay.

Is there construction on the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel?

Yes, as of October 2026. The Virginia Department of Transportation is expanding it: new twin tunnels, and a third lane and a drivable shoulder each way on Interstate 64 between Hampton and Norfolk. Its project page gives no end date. Check 511 Virginia for current conditions.

How do you get from Norfolk to Langley Air Force Base?

Military OneSource's directions to Langley from Norfolk take Interstate 64 West through the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel to exit 265-B, then right onto LaSalle Avenue. The Virginia Department of Transportation names the Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel and the James River Bridge as the other ways across. Gate hours change, so check the base's gate page first.

Sources

Where every fact came from

Everything on this page comes from the Navy, the Air Force, the Defense Department's Military OneSource, or the Virginia Department of Transportation. Where they do not say something, we left it out.

The three crossings, where each one lands, which charge a toll, the Elizabeth River tunnels and the High Rise Bridge. Hampton Roads bridges and tunnels, VDOT. Last updated 27 May 2026, retrieved 13 October 2026.
Langley and Fort Eustis on the Peninsula, and the directions from Norfolk through the HRBT. Joint Base Langley-Eustis in-depth overview, Military OneSource. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
Naval Station Norfolk on the Southside, and the extra time at the HRBT. Naval Station Norfolk in-depth overview, Military OneSource. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, the route through the HRBT, and Army members assigned to Fort Story checking in at Fort Eustis. Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in-depth overview, Military OneSource. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach. Naval Air Station Oceana in-depth overview, Military OneSource. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth. Naval Support Activity Portsmouth in-depth overview, Military OneSource. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
Naval Weapons Station Yorktown on the Peninsula. Naval Weapons Station Yorktown in-depth overview, Military OneSource. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
The HRBT expansion and its weekly lane closures. About the HRBT Expansion Project and Traffic alerts, VDOT. Retrieved 13 October 2026.
Gate hours. Naval Station Norfolk gate hours, U.S. Navy. Base access, Joint Base Langley-Eustis. Both retrieved 13 October 2026.
Live traffic. 511 Virginia, VDOT.

What we left out on purpose. We give no drive times, gate hours or toll rates, because they change. We do not name or compare areas of Hampton Roads. We cover the crossings between the Peninsula and the Southside and across the Elizabeth River: VDOT's page lists the rest. We do not cover base housing, schools, home prices or housing allowance.

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