NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that the North Landing Bridge replacement project took a “crucial step” in its progress this week.
The chief of engineers and USACE commanding general signed a Chief’s Report on Tuesday which recommended the North Landing Bridge Replacement Study’s findings for authorization by Congress.
“North Landing Bridge not only services vehicle traffic on Route 165 between the cities of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, but it’s also a key navigation corridor for maritime interests on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. The cargo-transportation industry relies heavily on the AIWW as a freight-transportation system, which improves commerce flow into the area and helps our economy.”
Officials said the signing on Tuesday is a collection of a three-year study that reviewed the existing bridge’s operation and maintenance, examined alternatives, and targeted a feasible plan for replacement of the aging bridge.
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, it’s considered structurally deficient and functionally obsolete, carrying far more than its 8,000-vehicle-per-day design capacity. The bridge was built in 1951 to serve rural traffic. The federally owned and operated two-lane, double-swing drawbridge crosses the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal.
USACE’s recommended replacement plan features a high-rise, two-lane fixed bridge measuring 3,360 feet long and 46 feet 4 inches wide – with a minimum vertical clearance of nearly 70 feet, structure depth of 8 feet, and roadway elevation of 78 feet.
The project is estimated at $98.5 million and includes upgrades to meet current Army Corps of Engineers and Virginia Department of Transportation design guidelines.
USACE said in a press release they would cover all first costs of construction. The City of Chesapeake will take ownership and responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the bridge after completion. The cost is projected at $185,000 per year.
The bridge is set to provide a major decrease in traffic delays, including the elimination of the issue of the bridge being shut down due to high-water events and vessel incidents.
In addition, the bridge will also have wide shoulders, to allow safe pedestrian and bicycle passage over the waterway.
The Chief’s Report will undergo further review by the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works and Office of Management and Budget before formal submittal to Congress.
After authorization, the North Landing Bridge would be eligible for construction appropriations, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
For more information about the bridge project, click here.