Under Construction: Route 30 and Route 33: Eltham Bridge and Lord Delaware Bridge Maintenance

Travelers crossing the Lord Delaware Bridge on Route 33 over the Mattaponi River between the Town of West Point and King and Queen County are asked to be alert for crews, equipment and work zone barrier as a bridge maintenance effort begins in December 2023 and continues through summer 2024.

Minimal delays are anticipated for travelers crossing the bridge during the project.

Between December 2023-April 2024, a single eastbound lane will be closed on the four-lane bridge. Work zone barrier will be placed along the closed eastbound lane. Both westbound lanes will remain open.

During May-August 2024, both eastbound lanes on the bridge will be open, and a single westbound travel lane will close with crews working behind barrier.

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and its contractor, BDI Inc., will use the lane closures for equipment access to identify bridge beam locations that need future repair. 

Work zone barrier will be placed on the Lord Delaware Bridge during the week of Monday, Dec. 4 through Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, weather permitting. Both eastbound lanes will be closed daily between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. with eastbound and westbound traffic each reduced to a single lane on the bridge, sharing the westbound lanes.

During 2021-2022, similar bridge beam identification work was underway on the Eltham Bridge, which carries Route 30/33 traffic over the Pamunkey River between the Town of West Point and King William County, and New Kent County.

“The Eltham and Lord Delaware bridges are safe for travel, and our regular inspections find these bridges consistently remain in fair condition,” said Annette Adams, P.E., VDOT Fredericksburg District Structure and Bridge Engineer. “However, since opening these bridges in the mid-2000s, we have learned that a portion of the grout used during construction did not properly set in all locations. Since this finding, we have been steadily exploring options for repair, while closely tracking the bridges’ condition. This project will allow crews to further investigate and identify specific locations for grout rehabilitation. It ensures we have the best information possible to carry out the construction project which is necessary to improve the bridges and ensure their future long-term service for these communities.”

Regular VDOT maintenance operations will continue on the Eltham and Lord Delaware bridges, to include snow removal, spot pavement repair, and debris removal, and bridge inspection. 

After this work to identify areas in need of repair, a future construction project to rehabilitate the Eltham Bridge and Lord Delaware bridges will be scheduled.

Benefits 

Grout investigation work on the Eltham Bridge during 2021-2022 and on the Lord Delaware Bridge during 2023-2024 will allow crews to identify locations where rehabilitation is needed. This will allow VDOT to obtain the specific information needed to advertise a future construction project to carry out the repair work. 

Major Milestones 

2021-2022: Grout investigation work underway on Eltham Bridge

December 2023-August 2024: Grout investigation work underway on Lord Delaware Bridge