Letter to the Editor: Says bridge closure is “Just not right.”

For more than three years, the Va. Dept of Transportation (VDOT) has known that the bridge on Rt. 618 linking New Kent and Charles City needed repair. Yet, the masterminds took it upon themselves to close it without any plans to restore it or replace it and gave no notice to the 1300 daily users. Determined to be too dangerous for even foot traffic, pictures are available showing VDOT placing four full-size “Jersey” walls with the truck and front end loader all on the bridge at the same time with no effects, but the sign says it is against the law to walk on it!!

That‘s just not right.

It has now been closed about 3 months and when one calls to see when work is going to start on repairs, the answer is “we have no idea”.

Does anyone care that 1300 people every day have to drive 30 additional miles to take the detour? That’s approximately a daily personal combined cost to local citizens of $7,583.33! That’s $682,499.97 so far, just in fuel and not counting the lost man hours of driving.

That’s just not right !

If you still don’t agree with me, please drive down Route 5 in Charles City and count the nine teams of equipment being used to put in a bicycle trail for pleasure. How about putting a temporary hold on that project so that the road of necessity can be fixed? If the powers that be can not get their priorities correct, maybe they should be fired. Representatives, Congress members, TV stations, and VDOT have all been pleaded with and no positive action has been taken.

Did anyone ever think about putting three long “ I” beams across the span with timbers on top as a temporary measure? For 75 years, “Rickety Bridge” near 1st Street in Williamsburg worked just fine.

It is just not right !!

William G. Hodges
Providence Forge