The Virginian-Pilot
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CHESAPEAKE
The Jordan Bridge, which opened to traffic in 1928, will close at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8.
On an 8-0 vote Tuesday night, the City Council sealed the fate of a bridge that carries 7,000 vehicles each weekday between Chesapeake's South Norfolk area and Portsmouth.
The decision likely will increase rush-hour traffic on other routes that cross the Elizabeth River's Southern Branch, including the Downtown Tunnel, the Gilmerton Bridge on Military Highway, and the High-Rise Bridge on Interstate 64.
City Manager William Harrell said nobody wanted to close the state's oldest operating lift bridge. But repairing it would have cost millions, with no guarantee of the bridge's future safety. R eplacing it would have taken about $300 million, city officials say.
"We believe it is the right thing to do," Harrell said. "Because it is an issue of safety over convenience."
A handful of residents pleaded with the board not to close the bridge. Others accused the city of bad planning.
"Years of inaction and lack of accountability led us down this road," said Kevin Amick of the South Norfolk Civic League. "Don't let this happen again."
An annual inspection in March and April revealed 10 critical items that must be repaired, city officials said. In August, the city recommended closing the bridge within a year if $4 million in structural repairs were not made. It would take at least another $13 million to keep the bridge open for the next 10 years.
City officials launched a campaign to convince community groups, the media and the council that it was time for the bridge to go.
Today, Chesapeake leaders will ask the Metropolitan Planning Organization for $500,000 in regional transportation funds to pay for express bus service from the bridge to downtown Portsmouth, where riders will be able to catch another bus to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. About 2,000 of the bridge's 7,000 daily vehicles go to and from the shipyard in Portsmouth.
Portsmouth's Erin Wise said she takes the bridge three to four times a day. "The Jordan Bridge is our way home," said Wise, who offered to pay higher tolls to keep the Jordan open. "Just get me over that bridge and back."
The bridge opened to traffic Aug. 24, 1928. It was planned and financed with the help of a South Norfolk businessman named Carl M. Jordan, who ran Jordan Brothers Lumber Co. and later served as the general manager of a nonprofit group that operated the span.
It was deeded to the city in April 1977. Even then, city leaders foreshadowed Tuesday's difficult vote. Chesapeake's mayor at the time, Marian Whitehurst, noted that the city was taking on "tremendous liability" and expenses that future councils would have to face, meeting notes show.
The city imposed a weight restriction on vehicles in 1981, then lowered it three times in the years that followed. The most recent was in 1996, when the limit was lowered to three tons - the lowest allowable by law.
The bridge currently has a Virginia Department of Transportation sufficiency rating of "0" on a scale of 0 to 100.
Chesapeake Public Works officials originally planned to ask the council to vote to close the 80-year-old bridge by Nov. 1. But city officials decided to postpone the closing until after the Nov. 4 election to try to avoid increasing traffic problems for voters.
On the morning of Nov. 8, the Jordan's middle section will be raised and locked into place. The tender will have to climb down a ladder. More than two dozen bridge workers will be reassigned.
"Friday evening's commute will probably be the last time people get a chance to ride over it," interim Public Works Director Eric Martin said.
Mike Saewitz, (757) 222-5207, mike.saewitz@pilotonline.com
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Wow....Thank you for putting this to sleep! I feel much better now......NOT!!!!!!!!
please stop the whining
First, whining will do nothing, the bridge will close and you are a minority; do something constructive and figure out a personal solution. The gloom and doom media are over blowing the increase to traffic. Yes there will be an increase, but it will be felt negligibly.
Second, many here have VERY short memories. How many times has this bridge been shut down for repair/maintenance over the past ten years? I'm glad my tax dollars are no longer going to be thrown into repairing a bridge that cannot be fixed without replacement.
Third, nothing lasts forever. As stated above, maintenance and repair have been made over the years, but the bridge is old, things wear out even with proper maintenance.
Forth, the toll money barely covered the salaries of employees and routine maintenance of the bridge, annually. Please stop your uninformed drivel about mis-management of your tolls.
Jordan Bridge
What is really strange is, they are closing the only bridge that has a toll on it - all the other routes are "free". What I'd like to know is what have they been doing with all the 75 cent tolls they have been collecting? This bridge practically puts me in my own backyard, but I have been going the long way because of the toll. Now, no one has a choice. One night I was coming home from work in Chesapeake, and really had a hard time getting home. The Jordan was on an extended lift, the Gilmerton was closed for the weekend and the tunnel was down to one lane due to road work. Now it will really take time to get home. The bridge may be old and maybe unsafe, but closing it now is really stupid. How hard would it be to make repairs or put in a new bridge? It;s long overdue anyway.
New Bridge - New Tolls
The city does not have $300 million to build a new bridge. A Public/Private partnership is beginning to be the preferred method of building capital projects. After some quick calculations, a private firm maybe interested in the project if the toll is $6.00 one way. How many of you are willing to pay $12.00 a day to get to work?
Observation
History has repeated itself in the Hampton Roads area. Remember the City of Suffolk CLOSED the Kings Highway Bridge for the reason of Lack of Maintenance. Also Suffolk City Council was looking for VDOT to solve the problem, but Suffolk government created the issue. Now, City of Chesapeake is CLOSING the Jordan Bridge and the reason: Lack of Maintenance. These two bridges had fallen victim to local governments who are more interested in hotels, golf courses, and Big-Salaries for upper management staff at the cities. Both City Councils are "Passing-the-Buck!" Both cities are suffering from: Lack of Leadership!
Re: Emergencies
Emergency vehicles have not used this bridge for years, they exceed the weight limit. If there is a problem in Brentwood or the northern end of Deep Creek, the fire station in Deep Creek has to respond. If they are busy, then Chesapeake has to send units down I64 from other areas. These vehicles are also restricted on the Gilmerton, but not as severely. If all else fails, Chesapeake has to call Portsmouth for backup.
As far as where the toll money is gone, the Pilot should look into that. In the charter when the city was given the "keys" to the Jordan Bridge, I bet there was a provision that stated that toll revenue could only be used from maintenance on that bridge. Since that hasn't been happening, where has the money gone? Is the city in violation of the charter? They are at least in violation of the "good faith" intent for the use of the Jordan Bridge tolls. And now they want to use the surplus funds to tear it down. I know I didn't give my 75 cents with the intent of using tolls to demolish it. Maybe we need a class action suit here. (even though I hate lawsuits)
Cost
What is the cost of lost commuter hours, wasted gas, and wear and tear on the infrastructure that will have to take on the additional burden of 7000 vehicles per day.
Shame, shame, shame on the Chesapeake City Council for their short-sightedness in an area that is already in a transportation crunch. As for the "Express Bus"...I am sure "express" won't be the adjective those on said bus will use while stuck in Downtown Tunnel traffic.
I still think this is something to do with the start up development on the Chesapeake side of the bridge...and I still smell a rat in this whole fiasco.
PAIN MUST BE INFLICTED FIRST
Then the masses will run to the polls when the next road tax referendum is brought about. You see, many of the residents of Chesapeake areas such as Deep Creek and Great Bridge, don't feel the pain of the tunnels and/or bridges. That will all change Nov 8th, because 464 and GW will be backed up so far, you will beg Big Bro to raise your taxes. How could money spent to speed vehicles through Greenbrier to east and west choke points have been ahead of a replacing the bridge? Oh Boy, 264 WB is going to be a gem as well...you will beg, just watch
If they put a boat landing on the Portsmouth side...
We could just canoe across... I'm sure it would be quicker than the proposed "Express Bus" service through the Downtown tunnel traffic.
It's a shame
Too bad one of the council members doesn't use it or it would be fixed ASAP. How the heck can all that South Norfolk redevelopment go forward without a way for people to escape the area quickly after dark?