U.S. 301 bridge work will take four months
For the next four months, workers will repair the superstructure of the James Madison Memorial Bridge, the span on U.S. 301 between Caroline and King George counties.
The Commonwealth Transportation Board awarded a $5.5 million contract to Corman Construction Inc. of Annapolis Junction, Md., for the repairs. Work includes replacing the bridge parapets and repairing the bridge deck.
The deck will be overlaid with latex hydraulic concrete, which will increase the service life of the concrete bridge, according to a press release from the Virginia Department of Transportation. The work also will make for a better ride, VDOT said.
The repairs will be done in several stages. Construction signs will be placed along the bridge first, and those may require periodic lane closures.
In late April, traffic will be reduced to two lanes in the work zone. The northbound lanes will be closed first and traffic diverted to the southbound lanes. Then, in the second phase of construction, the opposite will happen.
VDOT expects minor travel delays at peak travel periods and will try to advise motorists of traffic congestion.
The James Madison Memorial Bridge carries an average of 12,000 vehicles a day, according to VDOT. Built in 1980, the bridge is 1,483 feet long and 73.3 feet wide. When it opened, it replaced a swing span bridge built in 1934.
--Cathy Dyson