| RELEASE: CONTACT: |
IMMEDIATE LaTina W. Bundy 540-899-4560 Tina.Bundy@vdot.virginia.gov Jeffrey Caldwell 804-786-2715 Jeffrey.Caldwell@vdot.virginia.gov |
CO-0778 Oct. 3, 2007 |
VDOT POSTS 3-TON WEIGHT LIMIT ON ROUTE 3 NORRIS BRIDGE
Additional inspection finding shows area of concern
FREDERICKSBURG – The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has lowered the posted weight limit for the Robert O. Norris Jr. Bridge to three tons for all vehicles until further notice.
This limits traffic to nothing heavier than passenger vehicles. Special exemptions have been made to allow ambulances to continue to use the bridge.
VDOT bridge engineers conducted follow-up testing of a bridge pin concern found Sept. 13 during a re-inspection ordered after the Minnesota bridge collapse. That pin has been determined to be safe.
VDOT engineers received the detailed re-inspection report for the bridge on Oct. 1. While on-site to follow-up on the initial pin concern, the inspectors tested additional pins that were noted in the re-inspection report.
Ultrasonic testing indicated an abnormality inside one 6-inch by 12-and-three-quarters-inch bridge pin.
VDOT engineers felt the condition of this second pin warranted reducing the weight limit immediately until the pin could be replaced.
“This is part of our double- and triple-checking process on inspections,” said VDOT’s State Structure and Bridge Engineer Ken Walus, P.E. “The report noted a questionable area in the second pin that, upon our close on-site review, we felt was more significant than the report indicated. We are taking immediate action to ensure motorists’ safety by reducing vehicle weight on the bridge. Work is already under way to replace the pin in question. Meanwhile, we will continuously monitor the pin to ensure it remains safe.”
VDOT has an emergency contract in place for the work. An additional structural system will be put into place to ensure the bridge is supported while the pin is removed and replaced.
VDOT is posting signs this evening to alert motorists to the new weight restrictions.
The Norris Bridge carries Route 3 across the Rappahannock River between Grey’s Point in Middlesex County and White Stone in Lancaster County.
Overweight vehicles should use Route 17 north to Route 360 near Tappahannock, follow Route 360 east to Warsaw, then take Route 3 south to bypass the bridge.
The Norris Bridge is a steel deck-truss bridge. In-depth inspections of Virginia’s 11 steel deck-truss bridges have been completed as an extra safety measure following the collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis in early August.
Virginia’s steel deck-truss bridges are of a similar, but not exact, construction as the I-35W Bridge. VDOT engineers are reviewing the re-inspection reports with plans to finalize the results early next week.
Norris Bridge Fast Facts:
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This limits traffic to nothing heavier than passenger vehicles. Special exemptions have been made to allow ambulances to continue to use the bridge.
VDOT bridge engineers conducted follow-up testing of a bridge pin concern found Sept. 13 during a re-inspection ordered after the Minnesota bridge collapse. That pin has been determined to be safe.
VDOT engineers received the detailed re-inspection report for the bridge on Oct. 1. While on-site to follow-up on the initial pin concern, the inspectors tested additional pins that were noted in the re-inspection report.
Ultrasonic testing indicated an abnormality inside one 6-inch by 12-and-three-quarters-inch bridge pin.
VDOT engineers felt the condition of this second pin warranted reducing the weight limit immediately until the pin could be replaced.
“This is part of our double- and triple-checking process on inspections,” said VDOT’s State Structure and Bridge Engineer Ken Walus, P.E. “The report noted a questionable area in the second pin that, upon our close on-site review, we felt was more significant than the report indicated. We are taking immediate action to ensure motorists’ safety by reducing vehicle weight on the bridge. Work is already under way to replace the pin in question. Meanwhile, we will continuously monitor the pin to ensure it remains safe.”
VDOT has an emergency contract in place for the work. An additional structural system will be put into place to ensure the bridge is supported while the pin is removed and replaced.
VDOT is posting signs this evening to alert motorists to the new weight restrictions.
The Norris Bridge carries Route 3 across the Rappahannock River between Grey’s Point in Middlesex County and White Stone in Lancaster County.
Overweight vehicles should use Route 17 north to Route 360 near Tappahannock, follow Route 360 east to Warsaw, then take Route 3 south to bypass the bridge.
The Norris Bridge is a steel deck-truss bridge. In-depth inspections of Virginia’s 11 steel deck-truss bridges have been completed as an extra safety measure following the collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis in early August.
Virginia’s steel deck-truss bridges are of a similar, but not exact, construction as the I-35W Bridge. VDOT engineers are reviewing the re-inspection reports with plans to finalize the results early next week.
Norris Bridge Fast Facts:
- 50-year-old structure
- More than 11,300 vehicles cross the bridge per day
- Last annual visual inspection was conducted in May 2007. Visual inspections are performed on an annual basis.
- Last in-depth inspection was conducted in 2003. In-depth inspections normally are conducted every five years. The next in-depth inspection was scheduled for May 2008.
- The pin in question is original to the structure. Several bridge pins were replaced in 1996 as part of a rehabilitation project. These pins remain in good condition.
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Page last modified: Oct. 9, 2007
