Augusta County: Part of Route 703 closing April 1 for bridge replacement

A portion of Route 703 (Hewitt Road) in Augusta County is scheduled to close for about a year beginning Thursday, April 1, to allow VDOT to replace a 90-year old bridge over Eidson Creek.

During construction, Route 703 will be closed between Route 708 (Eidson Creek Road) and Route 876 (Swoope Road). Through traffic will detour as follows:

• Motorists east of the bridge will go east on Route 703, north on Route 708 (Miss Phillips Road), west on Route 254 (Parkersburg Turnpike) and then south on Route 876 to return to Route 703.
• Motorists west of the bridge will go west on Route 703, north on Route 876, east on Route 254 and then south on Route 708 to return to Route 703.

The existing single-lane bridge over Eidson Creek was built in 1930 and has reached the end of its service life. The new single-lane bridge will be about one foot wider and will be constructed on a slightly different angle to improve sight distance.

A detour map and more information about the Route 703 bridge replacement are on the VDOT project page: www.virginiadot.org/projects/staunton/augusta_county_-_route_703_bridge_replacement.asp.

VDOT awarded a $977,999.99 construction contract to Kanawha Stone Company Inc. of Nitro, W.Va., on Jan. 26. The contract has a fixed completion date of April 27, 2022. All work is weather permitting.

To obtain traffic alerts and traveler information, dial 511 or go to www.511Virginia.org. The VDOT Customer Service Center can assist with reporting road hazards, asking transportation questions, or getting information related to Virginia’s roads. Call 800-FOR- ROAD (800-367-7623) or use its mobile friendly website at my.vdot.virginia.gov. Agents are available 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week.

The Staunton District Twitter feed is at @VaDOTStaunton. Follow VDOT on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube. RSS feeds are also available for statewide information. The VDOT Web page is located at www.VirginiaDOT.org.

The VDOT Staunton District serves Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties.