In making its case for closing the 80-year-old Jordan Bridge by the end of the year, Chesapeake city officials gave the news media a close-up view Thursday of the bridge’s aging deck and badly rusted beams. “We’re at the point of concern,” said Interim Public Works Director Eric Martin. “In an abundance of caution, we really need to be closing the bridge proactively.”
A steel beam supporting the deck of the Jordan Bridge has holes from rust, as seen from the underside of the bridge deck on Thursday morning (Bill Tiernan photos | The Virginian-Pilot)
Concrete and steel on the underside of the bridge deck has badly detiorated.
A closer view of deterioration visible on the Jordan Bridge’s concrete and steel road deck.
Ted Garty, left, streets & bridges administrator for the City of Chesapeake, and Eric Martin, of Public Works, take a boat tour Thursday around and under the Jordan Bridge over the Elizabeth River to see examples of its deteriorating condition.
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Bell Harbor
The problem with the Jordan Bridge is not an isolated problem. If you look at the entire infrastructure of South Norfolk you will see the same problems. The 21st bridge that crosses the Norfolk Southern tracks is the #1 worst bridge in the state. The City has contracted a company to inventory the entire storm drain system in SONO because they do not know what they have. I have personally talked with the surveyors and they have pointed out storm drains and storm drain pipes that are not connected to anything. The roads are in bad shape, the sidewalks are buckled and dangerous, there is insufficient lighting on the streets and the list goes on.
Then you have Bell Harbor, the new Gateway at SONO and whatever else they have planned. All new with no concern for the existing. The Gateway at SONO created the new intersection and utlity work on Poindexter just for the Gateway. The new roadwork stops at the end of the Gateway property. There is a plan to renovate all of Poindexter. It has now been phased. I will be amazed if they actually do the remaining phases.
The remainder of the area has been forgotten. The Jordan Bridge is a fine example of how the city treats existing features.
Yellowspine
I TOTALLY agree with you. Lets hope they do it.
Tear it down
Tear it down, and replace it with a Great Bridge type drawbridge. 6 lanes, 3 each way. Then expand the Portsmouth street sides to Victory Blvd and better connector to Fredrick Blvd. Fredrick is already a small "highway" type road to 264 and has the space to easily make it 6 lanes. Rebuild the Fredrick Blvd/264 interchange.
There is land on either side of the Jordon to accommodate a 6 lane road. And a more aesthetically looking bridge wouldn't hurt the value of the area.
This would then become a much more accessible route and an alternative to the downtown tunnel.
$1 toll each way. Even at 7,000 vehicles a day is 2.5 million a year. And this plan would double or triple that amount of traffic to avoid the downtown tunnel. Your now looking at $5-7.5 million a year to help pay for it.
Joke:
Know why the Elizabeth River Project (backed by the four mayors) want to make the river swimable by 2020?
Because by then that will be the only way to get across.
just news....
If that bridge in Minn had never collapsed we would not be reading about this. I can't wait until they demolish this worn out, delapidated old bridge. It will probably be take as much to take this thing down as it did the old Ocean View roller coaster!! They didn't build those new toll plazas just to tear it down this soon. We all know it's old, but the City can't take the chance of something happening and getting sued because they knew it was worn. Thank you again Mr Hurt Line lawyer!
close it down now
this damage did not happen overnight. replace the people who dropped the ball on fixing it. find out what they spent the money on. (who's been cooking the books) close the bridge down before it falls down. i do not use it but my husband does. and i would rather he have to drive the long way home instead of not making it home. people are unhappy about having it closed now and that it will increase trouble and drive time elsewhere. if it falls during rush hour or at any hour where someone gets hurts. then people will be even more unhappy. avoid the risk and the christmas rush and close it down. you are not going to make everyone happy but closing it will make them safe.
Temporary Closure
What about a temporary closure untils funding is available.... closed for 2 years is better than having the structure demolished. Maybe some grant money in addition to a deal with Portsmouth and increased funding could provide enough funding. I just do not think Chesapeake has really considered the impact to other roads and bridges.
To be Developed Anyway
Interesting about the development right next to the bridge.... maybe that was the plan. Sell the land after the bridge closes and develop more condos in the area adjacent to the road = more property tax. I bet the residents of the new condos wouldn't be too happy about the current traffic scenario there twice a day either. Also, the development would have a nice park and boat ramp adjacent to it, similar to the condos in the OV area of Norfolk near the Pretty Lake bridge. It will also be interesting to see if the city sells the park and boat ramp as well, I assume the City owns that property.
Privatize it
Why doesn't the city advertise it and see if a private company would take over and operate the bridge let them keep the tolls and fix /maintain the bridge. Somebody just might do it. That said this is a great example of poor planning as bad as traffic is around here closing a bridge is just stupid. Oh by hte way I only use this bridge once or twice a year so this is not self interest in wanting the bridge to stay open.
Bye! Bye!
Here's a motto for the City of Chesapeake: "ONE LESS BRIDGE OF MAINTAIN,
ONE LESS BRIDGE FOR VEHICLES TO CROSS, ONE LESS BRIDGE!"
It's sad to say goodby to an old friend. "It's time to say Good-Bye for the Jordan Bridge!" Bye! Bye!
Oh come on, that's not 80 years worth of corrosion.
That's more like not being painted or had any maintenance since the City started collecting tolls. Ok, let's collect the tolls until the bridge falls apart. We don't have to spend a dime and we can collect millions. Heck, we'll even raise the toll a couple of times to make the motorist think we are actually using the toll money for preventative maintenance. Then we can give our developer buddies $87 million for Belharbor in SONO.
Jorden Bridge
If the bridge is in such bad shape? why didn't the city of chesepeake do anything about it before now? Where is all the money going that they collect from traffic going back and forth across the bridge, that is $.75 one way just for cars and light trucks. Even a bridge that old would have had maintenance and upkeep done to it over the years. It seems that someone dropped the ball here folks!
close it now
if it is in such bad shape what is the need to wait til the end of the year close the Jordan? does someone hope that a bridge fairy will fly over it and drop some magic dust and poof it is fixed? if not then let people drive over it at their own risk for FREE since the toll is being used for places other than the bridge upkeep apparently. this damage didn't happen over night or in a year. what was the sense in building the new tolltakers plaza just to have it used for such a short time? and to top that off raise the toll price. then again now the developer of Bell Harbour doesn't have to worry about a new crossing just change the road design and use what is there from the bridge not being used. which in my opinion is what they wanted in the first place.