THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 5, 1995 TAG: 9511030177
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is getting $1 million in federal funds this year to finish designing a new, larger bridge to replace the two-lane one on South Battlefield Boulevard in Great Bridge.
The 50-year-old span over the Intracoastal Waterway, which swings open hourly to allow boat traffic to pass, is now the scene of daily traffic snarls.
``As everyone who has to go across that bridge during rush hour knows, it's a bottleneck,'' said James R. Creighton, the Corps' project manager. ``We're going to eliminate that bottleneck.''
The relief won't come anytime soon. The new bridge, which has been in the planning since the 1970s, is not scheduled to be complete until at least the first part of next century, Creighton said. And that's assuming Congress authorizes the $24.5 million more needed to finish the project.
The federal government already has allocated $2 million for design, including the $1 million that will be spent over the next year.
The government would recoup about $4 million of the $26.5 million total from the city of Chesapeake, which has agreed to foot part of the bill and take over ownership and maintenance of the new bridge, Creighton said.
If Congress approves the project, construction likely would begin in 1999 and would be finished in 18-20 months, Creighton said.
The bridge and a smaller one spanning a canal to the north would be widened from two lanes to five. South Battlefield Boulevard then would be a solid five-lane strip from its intersection with Great Bridge Boulevard through its intersection with Cedar Road.
The new bridge, which would be constructed about 120 feet east of the existing one, would be about the same height and would still open periodically for boat traffic.
During the 1970s, the Corps of Engineers proposed a high-rise bridge that would have eliminated the need to stop vehicle traffic for boat travelers. But city officials rejected that plan because they did not want such a large structure in the middle of Great Bridge, Creighton said.
The proposal now is for the bridge to have two sections that would rise, similar to the way Berkley Bridge connecting Norfolk and Portsmouth opens.
``There will still be backups for traffic,'' Creighton said. ``They won't be as intolerable as they are now.
``Once the bridge is down and locked, traffic will move through quickly. Now, even when the bridge is down, traffic is still backed up because it's a bottleneck where you go from five lanes to two.''
Some businesses along the roadway would have to be moved to clear way for the expansion, including a furniture store, a car lot, a gun and tackle shop and a Pizza Hut. Only one home would be affected.
``The property owners down there are aware of that,'' Creighton said.
The estimated cost of the project includes money to compensate roadside landowners.
Creighton said he will submit preliminary design plans to city officials within the next several weeks.
He plans to hold a public meeting to discuss the bridge design sometime before next summer. by CNB