Thoughts Sought on Span Plan

Fredericksburg residents have until the end of the month to file comments with local transportation and public works officials over plans to replace the aging Rappahannock Canal bridge on Fall Hill Avenue. The construction will create a five mile detour from end to end, closing a major east-west thoroughfare for almost all of 2013.

Last night, the Fredericksburg Public Works Department held a series of three brief public hearings to gather comments from affected or interested residents. About 20 people attended the meeting at James Monroe High School. Department head Doug Fawcett gave a brief presentation of the upcoming timeline and design of the bridge and engineers were on hand to explain aspects of the bridge construction.

"It's aged and beyond it's useful life." said Fawcett, referring to the existing bridge, during the presentation.

An animated simulation of how the detour would affect local traffic patterns drew many curious eyes. Using data collected by traffic engineers, the simulation showed that there would be some minor additional congestion at the Route 1 intersection of Fall Hill Avenue, owing to the increased volume on that road. Cowan Boulevard will become the northernmost east-west route across I-95.

The current bridge dates to the 1950s and is deteriorating. Due to structural deficiencies, it is the only load limited bridge in the city, rated for a maximum load of 18 tons. This restricts the access of some fire and rescue vehicles. Fawcett showed photos of the bridge, highlighting crumbling sections of the bridge structure.

The new $2.8 million two lane bridge will be built in the same footprint as the existing bridge. It will be slightly taller, 10 feet at the west end of the bridge, to allow for the Rappahannock Heritage Trail to run underneath it. The bridge would feature a sidewalk connecting to the Forrest Village Apartments. A new pedestrian bridge will be added upstream of the bridge to allow for easy access to the trail from an adjacent parking lot.

Billy Nichols, a retired resident living on Hanson Avenue, says that while he uses the route almost every day he also sees the necessity of replacing the bridge.

"The detour doesn't concern me because I think the end result will make it well worthwhile," said Nichols before adding a morbid jest. "We're looking forward to it, I hope it can get done in my lifetime."

"That bridge is in bad shape," said Joyce Nichols, Billy's wife. "I'm scared to go across there sometimes with all the concrete fallen off."

Once Fall Hill Avenue is closed for construction, motorists seeking to get from the uptown side of Route 1 to Central Park will have to use a detour along Cowan Boulevard to reach the west side of I-95.

According to the timeline laid out last night, preliminary site construction will begin by the second half of 2012. By January of 2013, crews will close Fall Hill Avenue for the main work of demolishing and then reconstructing the canal bridge. Fawcett said that if all goes as planned, the road will be reopened in time for Thanksgiving 2013.

Fawcett said that he was pleased with the turnout. He characterized the public opinion of the project–and its detours–as generally positive.

"We have not heard any objections to closing the road," said Fawcett. "People understand that it is such an extensive project that it would not be feasible to move traffic through that area while we are trying to build."

Fawcett said that the city did consider replacing the bridge in such a manner as to not require the closure of Fall Hill Ave, but that option was found to be cost prohibitive. Fawcett is urging anyone who has an interest in the bridge project and its effects, namely the detour, to contact his office for more information or file a comment.

The official deadline to file a public comment is October 30.

Information about the bridge project and how to file a comment can be found in PDF's attached to this article.