Part 2/9:
The need for a tunnel arose from the historical significance of the area. During World War I, the U.S. Navy established a base in Norfolk, which later became the world's largest naval station during World War II. As the military presence grew, so did the civilian population, leading to increased vehicular traffic. Initially, in the 1950s, ferry services were introduced to handle a few thousand cars daily, but this soon became inadequate.