THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 11, 1995 TAG: 9510110707
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 29 lines
The Jordan Bridge, long locked in suspended animation, is expected to be freed today for repairs.
The 67-year-old bridge, linking Portsmouth with the Chesapeake neighborhood of South Norfolk, has been closed since May 1994 after one of the bridge's pulley mechanisms failed. Beginning this morning, the bridge's 600-ton lift span is expected to be raised 6 inches by hydraulic jacks, rested atop a barge and floated a short distance to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, where the repairs will take place. Work is expected to begin around 7 a.m.
The estimated $2.4-million repair job was approved by Chesapeake residents last November in a $76.9 million bond referendum for road improvements.
The bridge's dismantling has closed the southern branch of the Elizabeth River to navigation for the last two days. Repairs are expected to be complete within the next month.
The repairs will replace two wheels on the top of the bridge and all of the cables. Both the fixed-bridge structure and the lift structure will be repaired. by CNB