NEWPORT NEWS, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Heading to the beach early this July 4th week is a problem with a major crash and possible vehicle in the water at the Monitor Merrimac Bridge-Tunnel. This is the bridge-tunnel system that connects I-664 across the James between Newport News and Suffolk. Traffic that needs to go between the Peninsula and Southside Hampton Roads has to use the often overly-congested Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel that connects I-64 over the James between Hampton and Norfolk. At 10:15AM, VDOT was showing a 5-mile backup eastbound, and 6.25 westbound. There is another alternate using Route 17 over the James River Bridge, but that takes about 45-minutes extra time.