RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) -- Seven of Virginia's worst bridges are located in metro Richmond, according to a report from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.
However, the Virginia Department of Transportation says four of those seven bridges, have been replaced or repaired.
VDOT has been replacing multiple bridges along the Interstate 95 interchange, including the Overlook Road bridge on I-95, which caused major traffic delays last year as crews replaced the structure.
The other bridges on the list include that still need to be repairs are the Route 608 bridge on I-95 in Chesterfield, the I-95 on-ramp near Bells Road and the Colonial Pipeline Bridge on I-95 in Richmond.
Following the report, CBS 6 contacted VDOT. The agency provided this statement Thursday afternoon:
- Four of the bridges on the I-95 corridor projects have had their superstructures replaced as part of the I-95 Bridge Restorations project.
- The Rt. 608, Reymet Rd. bridge, has a deficient concrete deck only. We will continue to make repairs as necessary on the deck. The superstructure (beams) and substructure (everything below the superstructure) are not deficient.
- The bridge that carries the Ramps to and from Bells Road over I-95 has a deficient superstructure and we are assigning a task order to make repairs to the steel beam and this work should be accomplished this calendar year.
- The structure over Colonial Pipeline was a culvert carrying several pipe lines thru it under I-95. This has recently been completely filled with concrete and it is no longer a deficient structure.
In general, these bridges are not and were not safety hazards to drivers. VDOT inspects all of its bridges at least once every two years unless there are issues with a structure due to age, deterioration, bridge damage or other known concerns. In these cases, we conduct more frequent inspection. Any bridge that we are concerned about the safety on will be moved into a critical category which will drive actions such as reducing the load limit, immediate repair, or closure.
Data cited in the report is from the 2013 National Bridge Inventory, released in March 2013 by the Federal Highway Administration.
