In Design: Highland County – Route 220 (Potomac River Road) Strait Creek Bridge Replacement

This project will replace the bridge over the east branch of Strait Creek in Highland County. The existing bridge was constructed in 1931 and has reached the end of its service life.

The current bridge is 97.5 feet long. 

This 0.18-mile long project extends from 0.16 miles south of Route 629 (Strait Creek Road) to 0.02 miles north Route 629. The new bridge will include a 120-foot long simple span.

The existing piers will be removed. A temporary causeway will be necessary to access the piers to remove them.

The project replaces the current bridge superstructure and substructure. A bridge superstructure includes a bridge deck, handrails, curbs, floor system and other structural members or bridge parts that rest on a bridge’s piers or bearings. A bridge substructure consists of supporting elements such as piers or abutments.

The new superstructure will have varying shoulder widths due to the roadway curve. The bridge will have a minimum of a four-foot wide shoulder with two-11 foot travel lanes, for a total structure width of 31.5 feet. The bridge superstructure will be supported with a substructure consisting of abutments.

The bridge construction will take place in stages. During construction a single lane will be open with a temporary traffic signal to manage north and southbound traffic.  

In 2018 Route 220 had an average daily traffic count of 1,100 vehicles per day. By the design year of 2043 the estimated average daily traffic volume is 1,300 vehicles per day.

The total estimated cost for this project is $6,706,787, including $497,916 for preliminary engineering, $ 301,918 for right of way and $5,906,593 for construction. The funds are from State of Good Repair.

Advertisement for construction is fall 2024.

Benefits 

This project improves safety by replacing a bridge at the end of its service life with a new structure capable of handling modern weight vehicles.