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IMMEDIATE Jeff Caldwell 804-524-6179 richmondinfo@VirginiaDOT.org Sara Cross 804-524-6387 |
RICH-0458 Aug. 5, 2004 |
VDOT TO REOPEN ROUTE 5 BRIDGE OVER CHICKAHOMINY RIVER FRIDAY AFTERNOON
CHARLES CITY COUNTY—The wait and the 63-mile detour are coming to an end. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) plans to reopen the Route 5 Barretts Ferry Bridge to vehicular traffic Friday afternoon, Aug. 6. The bridge, spanning the Chickahominy River and connecting Charles City and James City counties, has been closed since June 24.
Repairs are slated to reach a point of completion Friday afternoon where traffic will be restored to the bridge. Various cleanup work will continue through August but will not impact traffic.
VDOT issued a $700,000 emergency contract in late June to permanently repair a sagging pier that resulted in more than a 10-inch vertical gap between the moveable and fixed portions of the bridge. The contractor, Corman Construction, installed a new crutch pier near where the eastern fixed span connects with the moveable portion of the bridge.
“VDOT and Corman Construction worked very hard to meet the goal of getting this critical link between Charles City and James City counties open to all traffic by early August,” said Gary Jennings, the assistant resident engineer in VDOT’s Sandston Residency responsible for maintenance of the bridge. “We truly appreciate the patience and cooperation of those citizens who depend on this bridge on a daily basis.”
The swing-span truss bridge was originally constructed in 1939 and carries one lane of traffic each way on Route 5. The bridge is 2,025 feet long and is 24 feet wide. It was constructed using timber pilings and has a concrete and steel driving deck. It functions as a swing-span bridge, meaning it pivots on an axis to allow boats to pass through an opening rather than lifting upward like a drawbridge.
The bridge is commonly known as the Barretts Ferry Bridge and was officially named the Judith Stewart Dresser Memorial Bridge in 2003.
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Repairs are slated to reach a point of completion Friday afternoon where traffic will be restored to the bridge. Various cleanup work will continue through August but will not impact traffic.
VDOT issued a $700,000 emergency contract in late June to permanently repair a sagging pier that resulted in more than a 10-inch vertical gap between the moveable and fixed portions of the bridge. The contractor, Corman Construction, installed a new crutch pier near where the eastern fixed span connects with the moveable portion of the bridge.
“VDOT and Corman Construction worked very hard to meet the goal of getting this critical link between Charles City and James City counties open to all traffic by early August,” said Gary Jennings, the assistant resident engineer in VDOT’s Sandston Residency responsible for maintenance of the bridge. “We truly appreciate the patience and cooperation of those citizens who depend on this bridge on a daily basis.”
The swing-span truss bridge was originally constructed in 1939 and carries one lane of traffic each way on Route 5. The bridge is 2,025 feet long and is 24 feet wide. It was constructed using timber pilings and has a concrete and steel driving deck. It functions as a swing-span bridge, meaning it pivots on an axis to allow boats to pass through an opening rather than lifting upward like a drawbridge.
The bridge is commonly known as the Barretts Ferry Bridge and was officially named the Judith Stewart Dresser Memorial Bridge in 2003.
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Page last modified: Aug. 5, 2004
