Ortman Road in Albemarle Closed Nov. 3-21 for bridge project

Beginning Monday, the Virginia Department of Transportation will close Route 691 (Ortman Road) in western Albemarle County for three weeks for a bridge project.

From Nov. 3-21, a VDOT bridge crew will work on the Stockton Mill Creek bridge located near Batesville, approximately 0.3 mile north of the intersection of Route 636 (Batesville Road). The current steel-beam, timber-deck bridge is posted with a 16-ton weight limit. In its place VDOT will install a concrete bridge that can carry all legal loads.

Route 691 will be closed to all traffic while the bridge is replaced. A detour will be in place to direct motorists from Route 691 to Route 692 (Plank Road) to Route 635 (Craigs Store Road) to Route 636 and back to Route 691.

According to a 2012 traffic count, 360 vehicles use Route 691 daily.

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 VDOT’s website,www.virginiadot.org/info/Bridge.asp.