FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), along with its hired contractor, will begin a project to rehabilitate and repair the Route 1 bridge over South River in Caroline County this week. 

The bridge is located near Ladysmith Village between Clara Smith Street and Glen Meadows Drive. 

The contractor, Bryant Structures, Inc., will improve the condition of the 97-year-old bridge by repairing the substructure and superstructure, removing the asphalt from the bridge deck and installing a new, smoother travel surface. 

Abutments, piers and other support elements are referred to as the substructure. Superstructure is the part of the bridge that absorbs the live load, which is the weight of vehicle traffic. 

To accelerate construction, crews will reduce Route 1 from four travel lanes to two travel lanes, with one lane open in each direction for the majority of the project. 

Workers are anticipating the long-term lane closures will go into place early this summer. 

Route 1 will remain two travel lanes until July 2024 when the $4 million bridge rehabilitation is expected to be complete. 

In July 2024, crews will reopen all four lanes on Route 1 to traffic on the improved structure. 

The rehabilitation project will extend the life of the bridge for another 100 years. 

For more information, please visit the project page on http://www.VirginiaDOT.org.

511Virginia

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VDOT’s 14-county Fredericksburg District includes the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford in the Fredericksburg area; Northumberland, Richmond, Lancaster and Westmoreland counties in the Northern Neck; Essex, Gloucester, King & Queen, King William, Mathews and Middlesex counties in the Middle Peninsula.