Construction to Begin on Route 606 Bridge this Summer

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FREDERICKSBURG – Construction to repair a closed bridge on Route 606 (Stonewall Jackson Road) in Caroline County will be advanced approximately six months ahead of schedule to start in summer 2015.  The bridge is anticipated to re-open to traffic by January 2016.

The project will be advertised to potential bidders in June. Construction at the work site is expected to begin in late August, and will take four months to re-open the road to traffic. Final pavement work will occur in spring 2016, when temperatures are warmer.

“We accelerated the planned repair project to open the bridge to traffic as soon as possible,” said Annette Adams, P.E, VDOT Structure and Bridge Engineer, Fredericksburg District. “Our staff and the project’s design firm worked together to rapidly finish all of the necessary preparations to make the project eligible for an earlier start date.”

The bridge, which crosses the Poni River, was closed to traffic on February 27 after a routine annual inspection found severe deterioration in the bridge beams.

VDOT determined the bridge should be closed as soon as possible for motorist safety. Detour signs have been posted along the recommended detour route, which can be used by trucks and passenger vehicles.
At the time of the bridge closure, a project was already under design to replace the bridge’s superstructure. Construction was originally scheduled for January-June 2016.

The bridge was built in 1962, and is structurally deficient. The bridge is inspected annually. It is a concrete pre-stressed box beam.

Approximately 1,900 vehicles a day cross the bridge, according to a VDOT traffic count.

Additional information about VDOT’s bridge inspection program and individual bridge conditions are posted online at http://www.virginiadot.org/info/Bridge.asp.

Bridge detour information and other project details can be found on VDOT’s website: http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/fredericksburg/route_606_stonewall_jackson_road_bridge_closure.asp