In two weeks roughly 650 motorists who travel over the bridge located between Route 642 (Purkins Road) and Route 622 (Latanes Mill Road) on Dunbrooke Road in Essex County, will began a year long detour.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will soon begin work to replace a structurally deficient bridge over Piscataway Creek on Route 620 (Dunbrooke Road) in Essex County.
VDOT will close Dunbrooke Road near the bridge at 9 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 16. The bridge is located between Route 642 (Purkins Road) and Route 622 (Latanes Mill Road).
A detour will be in place while construction is underway. Signs will be posted along the recommended detour route, which is approximately nine miles:
· Route 622 (Latanes Mill Road)
· Route 621 (Midway Road)
· Route 360 (Richmond Tappahannock Highway)
Message boards will be posted next week to alert drivers to the upcoming bridge work and detour.
Built in 1962, the existing steel beam and timber deck structure currently has a weight restriction of 3 tons for all vehicle types.
Crews will replace the structure with a 40-foot-long concrete single slab bridge on new concrete abutments and wingwalls.
The $1.6 million project will almost double the length of the current crossing, provide a smoother travel surface and remove the current weight limit posting.
Weather permitting, construction is expected to be complete in late November 2020.
Dunbrooke Road carries an average of 630 vehicles a day, according to a 2018 VDOT traffic count.
Information Provided by VDOT Press Release
Colonial Beach News 