THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 1996 TAG: 9605080388
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CINDY CLAYTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: YORKTOWN LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
Heavy fog, high winds and rain Tuesday again stalled work on the George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge.
Officials at Tidewater Construction Corp. of Virginia Beach and the Virginia Department of Transportation said they had hoped to install the third new bridge section on the Yorktown side over the York River but were unable to because of unsafe conditions.
Despite the delays, a VDOT spokeswoman said the project is still on schedule.
Two sections of the half-mile double-swing bridge have been installed and preparatory work is being done to remove the three remaining sections of the old bridge.
Tidewater has 12 days to remove the old two-lane bridge and replace it with a new four-lane span. If bad weather prevents the company from finishing in time, Tidewater could end up paying the state $8,000 an hour for every hour it misses the deadline. The bridge was closed for the replacement project May 4 and is scheduled to open May 16.
The Coleman is the largest double-swing bridge in the country. The new spans were built at Norfolk International Terminals. The $103 million project marks the first time complete bridge sections have been built away from the body of water they will span, then floated to the site and set in place.
While the bridge is closed, many motorists have to drive a 75-mile detour through West Point. VDOT officials said they had expected the small town to be inundated with traffic but there have been no delays. by CNB