WINDSOR
The Virginia Department of Transportation will be closing the Route 602 (Longview Drive) bridge over Pagan Creek on Monday, May 4, as part of a six-month replacement project. The department will replace the bridge with a widened overpass, improved approach and railings.

“[The current] bridge has been load restricted to 10 tons and is on the verge of become structurally deficient with both the beams and foundations in need of significant rehabilitation or replacement,” said district structure and bridge engineer Chris Eggleston. “The bridge is also considered functionally obsolete meaning that the bridge and roadway geometry are substandard. Because of these factors, a replacement was chosen for this structure. Once completed, the bridge will no longer be load restricted and the geometry of the bridge will be improved.”

Crews from Quality Enterprises USA Inc. will handle the reconstruction, using use 18-inch prestressed concrete slab spans to build the new bridge. At 28-feet wide and nearly 41-feet long, the reconstruction will cost $607,964.

“The members are cast with standard reinforcing steel and thick steel wires that have been tensioned before the concrete is placed,” Eggleston said of the process. “Once the concrete is placed and cures, the wires are cut and the tension is transferred into the slab, giving it more strength than just the regular reinforcing steel and concrete.

The members are placed side by side on the foundation and steel wires are used to pull the slabs together into a single unit. Railings are then cast on the slabs and the asphalt is then placed over the top of the slabs for the riding surface.”

North and southbound traffic will be detoured during construction, but access will remain for property owners who live nearby. Signs will be in place to help avoid the closure. From the north, motorists will be directed to take Route 644 (Bowling Green Road) and turn left onto Route 654 (Carroll Bridge Road. Once on Route 600 (Woodland Drive), motorist will take left to navigate back onto Route 602. Southbound traffic will follow the inverse route to avoid the closure.

According to VDOT, the project is scheduled for completion by November 2015. The department will continue to update the public as construction progresses, and will alert drivers as to when the bridge reopens via the project page at http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/hamptonroads/route_602_bridge_replacement.asp. For questions or more information, contact VDOT spokeswoman Laurie Simmons at 925-1647.