Report: Jordan Bridge should be closed if not repaired soon

CHESAPEAKE

The Jordan Bridge should be closed if $4 million in structural repairs are not made within the next year, according to a city report.

The bridge, which has been open to the public for 80 years, carries about 7,000 vehicles each weekday - including motorists commuting to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth.

The money would go toward improving the bridge's badly rusted deck, piles and beams. Even if the repairs are made, public works officials say, an additional $13 million in repairs would be needed within the next 10 years.

Officials "believe that the bridge is at the point of diminishing returns and any additional investments in repairs are returning little useful life," the report said.

The status report is part of a recently completed 15-page memo that details two of the city's most pressing and expensive transportation needs. It also includes widening Dominion Boulevard and replacing the Steel Bridge that carries the road across the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River.

City Manager William Harrell said the report shows "the city cannot handle all of the transportation demands before us."

In the case of the Jordan Bridge, the report presents the city with a difficult decision.

"If it was a question of a one-time repair, that would be one thing," said Councilwoman Debbie Ritter. "Apparently, it's a much larger issue than a one-time repair. This has to really, really be evaluated. It's a very, very difficult decision."

"It is probably an obsolete bridge, but I don't think we can get rid of it, truthfully," said Burnie Mansfield, secretary of the Chesapeake Port Authority and president of the Chesapeake Council of Civic Organizations.

Widening Dominion Boulevard and replacing the Steel Bridge could cost $373 million, according to the report. The project has about $45 million largely from federal funding, but officials are unsure of where the rest of the money could come from. The city cannot assume the full debt burden on the project without deferring all other city and school projects, officials say.

In the meantime, the city will recommend lowering the speed limit on a busy part of Dominion from 55 mph to 50 mph. The City Council will vote tonight on spending $2.2 million to pave the road's shoulders, and may discuss other interim improvements.

The report was released roughly two months after the city agreed to pay $4.3 million to settle a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of two teenagers who were injured in a crash that their attorneys blamed on Dominion's poor shoulder conditions.

Dominion Boulevard "represents a serious threat to public safety" and is also a hassle for drivers, the report concluded.

The report points out that the prospect of getting state funding for Dominion appears to be "remote at best." City leaders hoped the Dominion Boulevard project would be funded by a regional transportation authority, but the authority was struck down by the Virginia Supreme Court earlier this year.

And on Monday, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Virginia may have to make serious budget cuts to make up for sagging revenues. That doesn't bode well for Chesapeake's bridge and road problems, Harrell said. "It sends a clear message that the state isn't sending any additional resources for transportation," Harrell said of the report.

In 1995, the city spent $2.2 million to repair the Jordan Bridge and extend its operational life by five years. That same year, officials imposed a 3-ton vehicle limit on the bridge, said Interim Public Works Director Eric Martin. Another $252,000 in repairs were made in 2004. The next year, the city raised the toll from 50 cents to 75 cents to cover routine maintenance, Martin said.

In 2007, the City Council learned that the Virginia Department of Transportation gave the bridge a sufficiency ranking of 4 on a 100-point scale, putting it among the most poorly rated in the area. At the time, city officials said the bridge was so frail that a wheelbarrow was used to deliver asphalt for repairs instead of a truck.

A March inspection revealed 10 critical items that must be repaired within 12 months, according to the report.

City officials emphasized that the bridge is a public-safety issue.

In July, a 68,000 pound tractor trailer broke city weight restrictions and drove on the bridge, Martin said. An inspection later uncovered additional cracks in the road surface, he said.

Making $4 million in repairs would put the Jordan Bridge out of commission for three months.

Even if the bridge is permanently closed, removing it could cost $2.3 million, the report said.

The city is worried about how closing the bridge would affect Norfolk Naval Shipyard commuters. Out of the 7,000 vehicles that cross the bridge each weekday, about 2,000 could be operated by shipyard employees and personnel assigned to ships under repair there, said shipyard spokesman Steve Milner.

"If the Jordan Bridge were to close, it could have a significant impact on those persons commuting from Chesapeake and from other southside cities," Milner said.

Mansfield said he also is torn. It's probably more of a convenience than a necessity, he said. And if officials were to take an old, costly bridge down, that would probably be the one. But it's also been a stable bridge, and one that is frequently photographed for its historical value.

"It's an antique," he said. "It's been a part of the landscape. What a beautiful bridge."

Mike Saewitz, (757) 222-5207, mike.saewitz@pilotonline.com