CHESAPEAKE, Va. – The North Landing Bridge here will reopen to vehicle traffic at 2:45 p.m. today following a six-hour closure to repair damages to the bridge.
The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, completed repairs on damaged gear teeth and steel girders caused during a barge accident June 4.
Until additional repairs are completed later this year, the bridge is still restricted to four full opening per day for larger watercraft. Those openings will occur at 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m..
Additionally, bridge operators will continue to open one span of the bridge every hour and half hour between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., and on demand after 7 p.m., for smaller watercraft.
“Having these repairs complete means barges can traverse the bridge on a more normal schedule,” said Joel Scussel, Norfolk District project manager. “Prior to these repairs we limited the openings to just one a day, which lasted about 30 minutes and was not beneficial for motorists traveling between Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.”
The North Landing Bridge handles approximately 11,000 vehicles per day under normal conditions; while the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal allows for 1-million tons of commerce to safely travel north and south along the waterway.