The Commonwealth Transportation Board has awarded a $6.906 million contract to Perry Engineering Co. Inc. of Winchester to construct a new bridge over Cedar Creek on Route 11 in Shenandoah County. VDOT will manage the project, which has a November 2018 completion date.
“This project brings a new bridge to an area with local historic significance, recreational use, environmental resources and rural characteristics”, said VDOT Staunton District Location and Design Manager Matt Dana, P.E. He adds, “A mix of state and federal agencies, local historical groups and preservation organizations collaborated producing the final design and location for this project that balance the concerns of these stakeholders with the needs of the traveling public.”
The new bridge will safely support current and future traffic volumes and modern vehicle weights while maintaining the integrity of nearby culturally significant sites. Project development contributors include VDOT engineers and consultants along with representatives of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the National Park Service, the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, the Southern Environmental Law Center, Belle Grove and Cedar Creek National Historical Park, and local citizens.
Initial VDOT location and design plans sought to replace the two aging Route 11 Cedar Creek Bridges servicing northbound and southbound traffic with a new structure located between the old bridges. With input from local citizens and several historical organizations early in the project design, VDOT established a collaborative partnership to address engineering challenges while preserving historic and rural integrity. The work of these stakeholders produced significant design changes implemented by VDOT in the final project plans.
The new bridge will replace the northbound and southbound bridges with a new two-lane structure on the current northbound bridge footprint. The exiting southbound bridge was built in 1947 and the northbound bridge was built in 1959. Both bridges have reached the end of their service life.
Route 11 is a four-lane divided highway in this vicinity. North of Cedar Creek the road narrows to three lanes. Route 11 northbound and southbound will taper to two lanes at the new bridge. The project additionally corrects a curve on the south side of the bridge that has experienced recent crashes.
The Route 11 Cedar Creek Bridge is located along a detour route servicing Interstate 81 traffic and is key to maintaining regional traffic flow during major incidents. This location is between Middletown to the north and Strasburg to the south.
On-site construction will begin in spring 2017.
The VDOT Staunton District serves Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties.
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Chris Graham
