The Virginian-Pilot
©
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.