THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, December 5, 1995 TAG: 9512050271
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 31 lines
The Jordan Bridge's newly repaired lift span is scheduled to be reattached to the stationary sections at 7 a.m. today.
Officials say the crossing between Portsmouth and South Norfolk could be reopened to traffic by Dec. 15. The bridge has been closed since May 1994 after its pulley system failed.
The closure created a mess for local traffic, especially for workers at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth who had used the bridge to get to work. Without it, commuters have been forced to use the Downtown Tunnel, which has clogged almost daily.
The 600-ton lift span, the portion of the 67-year-old bridge that rose for boat traffic on the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, was removed for repairs Oct. 11. Those repairs, part of a $76.9 million bond referendum for road improvements in Chesapeake, were expected to add at least five years to the bridge's life.
The lift span is scheduled to be reinstalled by Thursday. Boat traffic on the Intracoastal Waterway will be halted at the bridge from 7 a.m. today until 4 p.m. Thursday. by CNB