CHESAPEAKE
City Manager William Harrell on Tuesday recommended closing the Jordan Bridge, an 80-year-old, badly rusting structure that still serves 7,000 vehicles per day.
The bridge could be closed by December, if officials have their way.
It would have had to close over the next year if $4 million in repairs were not made to the bridge’s aging deck and beams, a city report revealed this week. At least $13 million in additional repairs would have been required within the next 10 years.
Harrell says it doesn’t make sense to spend $17 million in bridge repairs without a guarantee that it would be safe for drivers.
“This appears to be the only viable option,” Harrell said. “We don’t want to wait until there’s a problem. It’s incumbent that we take action.”
While city, federal and state leaders supported closing the bridge, some worried about the effect on Hampton Roads traffic.
“When you shut that bridge down, where are you going to put 7,000 cars?” asked Del. Lionell Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake. “I want to know, 'Where is that traffic going?’”
Interim Public Works Director Eric Martin told him that vehicles that have used the Jordan Bridge would now be split between the High-Rise Bridge, the Gilmerton Bridge and the Downtown Tunnel.
“We will have longer rush hours and more congestion on those remaining corridors,” Martin said. “It will be worse than what it is today when we remove that river crossing.”
During rush hour, officials estimate that an additional 3,500 to 4,000 vehicles could be forced onto roads such as Military Highway. “It’s going to be a mess,” Spruill said. “Military Highway is already backed up.”
Some council members worried about the bridge closure’s effect on commuters. About 2,000 of the 7,000 vehicles
that cross the bridge each day may be operated by workers going to and from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth.
The city said it will explore starting a park-and-ride lot in South Norfolk, with express bus service to the shipyard. Officials also might look at water taxi service from a public boat ramp near the Jordan Bridge directly to the shipyard.
Officials stressed that the recommendation to close the bridge was a public safety issue. While it may take $17 million to make important structural, mechanical and electrical repairs, it could cost millions more to fix the piles that hold the bridge up.
“This is the big unknown,” Martin said. “These piles are 80 years old. They’ve been in the river that long. We have no way of accurately assessing the condition of those piles.”
Vice Mayor John de Triquet said the city and others should learn lessons from the Minnesota bridge collapse that killed 13 people last year. If public agencies fail to deal with infrastructure problems, he said, that could mean the loss of life.
The council still must vote on the bridge closure over the next few weeks. The Jordan Bridge is one of several important transportation issues facing the city.
On Tuesday, the council voted to spend $2.2 million to pave the shoulders along Dominion Boulevard. The vote comes two months after the city agreed to pay $4.3 million to settle a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of two teens injured in a crash on the road.
A project to widen Dominion and replace the Steel Bridge could cost $373 million, and officials don’t know where they’ll get most of that money.
Removing the Jordan Bridge could cost $2.3 million, officials say. Harrell said the money to demolish it will come from the Jordan Bridge Enterprise account, which Martin described as a savings account made of excess toll revenue. The city also could make at least $900,000 by selling steel from the bridge, officials say.
Toll revenues fund the $1.6 million it takes each year to pay bridge workers and cover routine maintenance costs, officials said. About a dozen city workers who help operate the bridge would be reassigned to other areas.
Federal and state legislators appeared to accept that getting rid of the bridge was the right option.
“It seems to me, everything has a life,” said Sen. Harry Blevins, R-Chesapeake. “This one is over. Spending money on it seems to be foolhardy.”
Mike Saewitz, (757) 222-5207,mike.saewitz@pilotonline.com
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Red Headed Step Child Treatment...
So what else is new?! Hmm, wonder how much $$ it cost to replace the Great Bridge Bridge?? Granted they do have 35K crossing per day vs. a paltry 7K over the Jordan. Note: 35K = free-ride / 7K = pay $$. The revitalization of South Norfolk is a wonder to behold…all 3 blocks of it. With the bridge being decommissioned it’s kind of like being invited to the banquet table, enjoying one bite, then having the chair pulled out from under you. It was the private non-profit enterprise of Mr. Jordan that built this bridge. After the debts were cleared in 77 it was passed to the city. A gift horse is to be valued & cared for, not neglected & shot. A ramification I’ve yet to see City Council pick up on is the loss of revenue to SoNo when people going to work, detour South Norfolk totally. Now what’s the point of this revitalization?...To turn South Norfolk into a parking lot? I hope not.
greaaattt...
There are good points and bad points. Personally, I think the bridge has been there SO long it should already be paid for. They raised the toll a few years back, and there's only about 10 or 15 people running the place. Oh, and with the "enterprise account" that the article mentions, it sounds like they really COULD have made these adjustments little by little starting YEARS ago...or at LEAST started working on an alternate route for the traffic situation before just closing it down. Once again, the citizens get screwed, though...we should used to it by now.
Wow!
Collect the money, spend it elsewhere (not to maintain the bridge), then cry "bankruptcy" when the bills come due? Most homeowners' association boards (made up of volunteers) would be sued for not having sufficient money in the reserves when it is time for repairs (they are supposed to estimate when repairs are going to need to be done and use the reserves, cyclically, for repairing something every year in some part of their domain. Should my local board give lessons to the Chesapeake City Council?). Cheers, MGM
Fire all the Morons!
The math is relatively easy. The City of Chesapeake generates nearly $2,000,000 a year from the Jordan Bridge tolls. What is the problem? The leadership of Chesapeake has failed their customers! The reactive type of mentality that is so prevalent here in Tidewater, (just look at Va. Beach) has got to change. Think with the future in mind for a change. A new bridge that connects I 264 to I 464 would do wonders to cut the traffic at the Downtown tunnel, other Chesapeake bridges and the High Rise Bridge. It could utilize Victory Blvd. and the land next to the Navy Yard for another High Rise type of bridge - there are no restrictions to doing this as the Navy Yard is upstream! The benefits derived truly exceed any heartache that citywide cooperation would bring. Put the new rec center across from the YMCA on the shelf and get it right. Remember, we have term limitations -they are called elections.
Jordan Bridge
Why did the city buy this piece of junk anyway, it has been nothing but a money drain on the city since it was bought.
Granted this isn't Norfolk
But y'all had a cow when I suggested that using tax payer funds to fund swimming pools and gyms was not a function of government and that those tax funds should be used to keep up our failing local infrastructure. Y'all get what you deserve. 90% of the inhabitants of the Tidewater area believe that local Gov is Santa Claus and don't understand how their taxes are squandered as necessary services are neglected in favor of useless pet projects. Enjoy your traffic jams.
Time to get serious about taxes
doubling or even tripling our current taxes would be acceptable to get our cities infrastructure fixed. Why we dont like to see our taxes go up we all realize it is time and a bitter pill we all must swallow!
First the railroad crossing and now the bridge for Belharbor ?
First the railroad crossings were in the way of Belharbor Station at South Norfolk so the city wants to condem the property and take it over. Now the Jordan Bridge closing which will remove the traffic problem. Now all they have to do is drain the river and remove the polluted silt. Why not ask Congressman Forbes for help in funding a new crossing? The Jordan is an alternate route to the Naval Hospital and Shipyard (Ummmm, National Security and safety for military personnel being medivaced into NAS Norfolk?) The Federal government should kick in and help on this problem after all it is in their best interest too. Also think about this, the midtown is shut because of flooding and the Berkley Bridge is stuck in the open position, the Gilmerton is closed for repairs where are you going to cross. Save your dollars because you'll need the extra money for gas driving down 64 to route 17. Of course if you l
Jorden Bridge
This is going to get nasty folks!
Bridge
Here we go again! This bridge that is such bad shape did not happen over night. These bridges are inspectied on a regular bases. How come the money was never alotted over the years to prevent this problem. Back to the fact that our local/sate/federal resprestatives continue to spend our tax money unwisely. For example the new skate park that Norfolk is putting in! What maybe 1-2% of the population will use this?! Money could be used somewhere else! Hey maybe it could be used to fixed the Jordan Bridge because Norfolk residence us the access to get to the Shipyard. Nope, keep spending on thing not needed, and continue telling us there is no money, while you give the next big developer a tax break to build in the area.
Tolls
Where did the money for the tolls go? Wouldn't one assume that money would go towards repairs/replacement?
Why not raise tolls enough to cover needed costs?
All we need is MORE traffic!!
I do not agree with this at all. Chesapeake can afford to give take home cars to Police Officers that live in Smithfield and use the "take home" car as their personal vehicle. And who pays for gas? Taxpayers!!
Now closing the Jordan Bridge and putting more traffic on Military Highway?? It's bad enough that during rush hour you sit for 20 minutes because none of the lights are syncronized. If the city payed more attention to this and the traffic jams then maybe I can see closing but until something is done about the lights and the traffic they need to FORGET IT?
I ask who is getting a BONUS for closing this bridge?? I know it's not me!
I totally agree with csh
All we need to get the needed funding is trim all that stinking waste! Waste! That's it! So simple! We don't need to find a lot of money, just a few BILLION dollars! No problem! That should be easy. And no, I don't know how to trim that kind of money from the budget. Neither does anyone else you see screaming about how the government wastes all out tax money and all we need to do is get rid of the WASTE and we'll be fine. We are completely clueless in that regard. All we know is that the government is wasting our money and if they'd just stop we wouldn't need to increase taxes to fund road construction.
Or we could just be really stupid. That's a possibility, too.
Just what we need
one less hurricane evacuation route.
Chesapeake IS out of money. Think of the bucks they've spent on ethanol plant studies, fly ash studies, Taj Mahal...
2 mistakes
The toll I was ref. to was $1 not $100. Nor was it the Gilmerton it was the Coleman I meant to say. It charges a toll for the convenience.
DISASTER
This is a disaster of gigantic proportion for traffic in the area and is a major failure of city leaders. This did not have to happen. Money is being mismanaged and we're all going to pay the price... certainly in more ways than one! The Gilmerton bridge (an alternate) is in bad shape, gets stuck open, and opens every 15-20 minutes. What a mess. But that's right.......the city doesn't have money for anything... let's put tolls up (so that money too can be squandered!) Where are all my tax increases going?!? Time to clean house!
good ole boys............
"Federal and state legislators appeared to accept that getting rid of the bridge was the right option"................well what about the citizens????>care to hear what they think>>>????? what happens to the gilmerton bridge after it wears out????.....
And another thing...think outside the box
It is bad enough that tax money from all sources is haphazardly squandered and allotted throughout Hampton Roads. It is a equally unfortunate, or perhaps greater, problem that many of the Hampton Roads cities are objectively out for themselves, rather than for the Tidewater Region as a whole. There is no positive, collective effort amongst the municipalities to efficently improve the transportation problem that currently exist around here. No strategy exists to improve Hampton Roads transit woes in the long term that does not include building more highways and roads (costs more in the long run on that path). The light rail project in Norfolk is a fine model to start with. An ideal model already exsists in the San Francisco Bay area with the BART system. A similar concept in Hamptons Roads would work wonders.
I did some math
As this bridge services a relatively small amount of traffic I beleive a toll would work. At .50 each way on an average of 7k drivers passing 5 days a week for 52 weeks would be 910K annually. Or you could do like the Gilmerton and charge $100 for 1.82Mill anually. With input of some state funds which is possible it should fly at the .50.
MPO and business lobby are to blame, we already pay lotsa taxes
wright1971, airport bum, and jweiser, while I can understand your frustration, you seem to indicate that the locals in Tidewater need to pay more REGIONAL taxes to pay for the MPO plan and HB3202 that would build STATE highways; an MPO and Hampton Roads Partnership/Chamber of Commerce plan that did nothing for this bridge - or the Gilmerton Bridge. As pointed out by others, the problem is not that we don't already pay enough taxes - it is that our taxes are not spent wisely or on thru needs. The business lobby has hijacked our MPO and General Assembly. Real needs are ignored - but BILLIONS of new regional taxes, fees, and tolls are pushed to benefit the port.
Moving
I am moving to Richmond, because I can no longer tolerate the congestion in Hampton Roads. Richmonders gladly pay a small toll to drive on the Downtown Expressway, Powhite Parkway and 895, because those funds aid road projects. If it keeps the ride smooth and congestion free, I'll gladly pay it. Goverment leaders approve building project, after building project, after building project. The bottle neck will only get worse. At least I will no longer have to worry about it.
Sheeple...
All of you people so willing to volunteer the citizens for taxation: wake up.
We already pay more than enough taxes.
The problem is not that Hampton Roads does not have enough money to fund
transportation, the problem is that our governments are wasting that money.
Why should I give even more money to an organization that has proven it has no idea how to use it properly?
Remove the waste, under-table deals, illegal operations, etc... and there will be plenty of money.
great idea Ira Tateu
If it isnt safe for cars, it still should be safe for bicycles and foot traffic, but then I guess you would have to have toll to walk across the bridge to keep the people getting paid They could man it from 5:30 to 9 am and then again from like 2:30 to 6pm and that would only be 7 hours a day. And only do it Mon-Fri. I think the city could support that
I guess if we didn't need
I guess if we didn't need more ball fields, bike paths and etc for a few, as well as the "Social Programs" maybe there would be funds to give the working people decent roads, bridges and such. After all the working person is paying the bill, not the free loaders.
"Pay up or shut up" WE HAVE PAID!!!!!
Every time we buy gas, go to DMV, Personal Property tax etc etc. Perhaps you who think this way can chip in extra but "WE" have paid already but lack of fiscal responsibility on the part of City and State government has created these monsters. How about making developers who grease city official palms to build 10,000 homes serviced by a single lane bridge chip in to inprove roads to said area prior to approval for development?
Funny
"At least he has the guts to close it down. He is thinking about our safety. Thank you Mr. Mayor."
It is the City manager, not the mayor. One is hired based upon qualifications to run a city and the other is popularly elected.
Leave it open to bike traffic. If the money is not there then it is not there. You might as well get used to there not being enough roads anyhow. You cannot pave everything. That will be the eventual conclusion if we maintain our current course. it simply is not feasable.
What have they been doing with the money????????????
Let's see 7,000 cars X 75 cents X 365 days a year = 1.9 million dollars a year. So they collect the toll to pay for the bridge's maintenance, then squander the money, and nobody thinks it's a bad idea because the bridge is in bad shape. It's about time we stop spending TRILLIONS of dollars on welfare programs, and start spending it improving the lives of people who work and pay the tab. If you don't work, you don't eat. If you steal your food because you didn't work, you go to prison, get chained to another thief, and learn to WORK. Wake up America!!! It's time to hold these people accountable. It's not about the bridge.
this aint Grate Bridge bridge!!.............
Good thing this wasnt the Great Bridge bridge,,,,,,wait........we have lots of politicans living in that area,,,,,,,,,so easy for the manager just to say close it!........he dont depend on it like many many other do....what a shame.............
Great Bridge.
If the Jordan Bridge was in Great Bridge or even serviced the Greenbriar Great bridge area this problem would not exist. How about 5 million for the bridge instead of a new animal shelter on S military? I know that is too much to ask because we all know that bike paths around the Taj Mahal and along the Rt 17 canal are far more important than bridge repairs!
What next? Close the Gilmerton Bridge also? I mean why not it does not effect Great Bridge or Greenbriar and after all in the eyes of the social elite at the Taj Mahal it only effects the peons in S Norfolk and Deep Creek areas of the City!
Opportunity for HRT to build a viable commuter ferry network
While the need for replacing and expanding the existing infrastructure still exists, why not use this opportunity to build a transportation system that can use the water as its infrastructure, rather than merely an obstacle to be crossed. The South, West, and East Branches of the Elizabeth already reach deep into residential areas of Chesapeake, Portsmouth, and even Virginia Beach. A high speed passenger ferry and some strategically placed park-and-ride lots could serve tens of thousands of people who work in businesses and industries located near the water, and potentially get them to work faster than they could by driving through tunnels and over bridges.