Recently Completed

Project Overview

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is replacing a functionally obsolete bridge over Fox Mill Run on southbound Route 17 Business (Main Street) in Gloucester County.

Construction of a new bridge is expected to take approximately 12 months. When complete, the new bridge will meet modern bridge design standards set by state and federal agencies. 

The bridge will have wider travel lanes and shoulders to accommodate the projected growth in traffic volumes for Gloucester over the next quarter-century.

Project Details

To build a replacement bridge, both southbound lanes of Route 17 Business must be closed to traffic at Fox Mill Run for 12 months.

Northbound and southbound traffic on Route 17 Business will narrow to one lane in each direction at Fox Mill Run, with both lanes crossing on the northbound bridge. 

Construction began in fall 2011. 

The project has undergone an environmental review process. A public hearing on the project was held in 2005, and citizen information meetings were held in May 2010 and August 2011. 

Previously completed signal timing upgrades at the intersection of Route 3, Route 14 and Route 17 in Gloucester will assist vehicles as they navigate this work zone. Additionally, a restriction on through truck traffic on this portion of Route 17 Business is in place.

By 2032, VDOT projects an average of 38,000 vehicles a day will cross the bridge.

The existing bridge over Fox Mill Run was built in 1917. It has a posted weight limit of 27 tons for single-unit trucks, and 40 tons for tractor-trailers.

Estimated Cost

The current project estimate is $3.2 million, with 80 percent of the cost funded through federal funds, and 20 percent with state funds.

Anticipated Schedule

Construction began in fall 2011, and is scheduled to conclude by November 2012.