For three weeks beginning May 23, a segment of Route 810 (Browns Gap Turnpike) in Albemarle County will be closed while a crew with the Virginia Department of Transportation replaces a structurally deficient bridge over a branch of the Doyles River.
The road will be closed at the bridge, located 0.3 mile south of Route 629 (Browns Gap Turnpike) and 2 miles north of Route 668 (Walnut Level Road). During the closure, through traffic should use alternate routes. Weather permitting, the road is expected to reopen to traffic June 10.
The bridge is currently posted with a 23-ton weight limit and carries approximately 500 vehicles daily, according to a 2014 traffic count. The upcoming work involves replacing the superstructure of the bridge so it can carry all legal-weight vehicles.
Over the next two construction seasons, VDOT plans to improve additional weight-restricted structures along the Route 810 corridor, including a bridge over Halls Creek that is located 0.9 mile west of Route 687 (Shiffletts Mill Road). This four-week bridge replacement is slated to begin in the fall.
Message boards are in place to notify the public of the closure and any weather-related schedule adjustments.
For more information about Virginia’s bridges and VDOT’s bridge inspection program, including current conditions of the state’s bridges, FAQs and video of a bridge inspection, visit www.virginiadot.org/info/Bridge.asp.
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Chris Graham
