Advance Mills Bridge
The Advance Mills Bridge carries Route 743 (Advance Mills Road) over the North Fork Rivanna River. The structure replaced an older one and opened to traffic on April 16, 2010. [1]
Replacement
The bridge was closed in May 2007 after inspectors with the Virginia Department of Transportation determined the steel truss bridge was no longer strong enough to hold the posted weight limit. In June, engineers decided a replacement should be built and initially offered to build a temporary structure. [2]
For three years, residents of northwestern Albemarle County lost north-south access to Earlysville because the bridge was closed. The new bridge now has the capacity to carry public safety vehicles and school buses, something that VDOT staff had not been allowed since the early 1970’s when the bridge weight limit was reduced to 8 tons.
The replacement bridge is a two-lane and steel trussed structure, wide enough to accommodate bicycle and pedestrian traffic. The approaching roadways on either side have been widened to match the bridge's width and improvements are being made to increase line-of-sight on the east side of the bridge.
The completion was delayed in the fall of 2009 after VDOT discovered the "unanticipated conditions" of additional rock being found when drilling occurred to install bridge supports.
Why a temporary bridge wasn't planned
Many residents of both Earlysville and Advance Mills demanded that a temporary bridge be installed after the original structure was closed. VDOT's original plan had been to install a temporary bridge on the existing alignment while designing a new location for a permanent bridge. However, budget cuts forced VDOT to abandon that strategy in favor of building a permanent bridge on the existing alignment. [3]
Need to preserve historic bridge
The steel truss bridge installed in 1943 was a contributing structure to the Advance Mills Historic District. That required VDOT to work with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources to come up with a plan to mitigate the effects on the district. Supervisors passed a resolution on July 7, 1999 that the bridge should be maintained. [4] The bridge was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
Some residents argued that the bridge wasn't truly historic and a replacement should be constructed more quickly. Historic advocates such as Stephen Meeks and Jeff Werner of the Piedmont Environmental Council spoke up for the need to preserve the bridge as part of the historic district. [2]
Map
References
- ↑ Web. Advance Mills Bridge Opens, Brandon Shulleeta, Daily Progress, Media General, April 16, 2010, retrieved July 13, 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Web. Board of Supervisors defers action on Advance Mills Bridge to August, Sean Tubbs, July 12, 2007, retrieved July 13, 2024.
- ↑ Web. VDOT pledges to speed up Advance Mills replacement project; temporary bridge cancelled, Sean Tubbs, News Article, Charlottesville Tomorrow, February 28, 2008, retrieved July 13, 2024.
- ↑ Web. County of Albemarle, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Minutes, Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, Albemarle County, July 7, 1999, retrieved July 13, 2024.