Residents Take Early Interest in Plans for New Bridge

Road closures are scheduled for the temporary replacement of the Hunter Mill Road bridge over Difficult Run within the next month, but residents at a community meeting Monday focused on the plans for a permanent bridge that will cost an estimated $3 million.

Once in place, the temporary bridge, which is estimated to cost $300,000 and paid for through state maintenance funds, is safe to use for decades if properly maintained, but VDOT hopes to have the permanent bridge planned and constructed in one to three years.

VDOT has not yet announced the dates for the temporary bridge construction, but predicts it will be in late August or early September. The road will close over one weekend to allow for construction of the two-lane bridge.

"We want to make sure the community is heard from the beginning," said Bruce Bennett, a resident of the Hunter Mill Corridor and transportation chairman of the Hunter Mill Defense League. "I think we can develop a good relationship with the principals here and make sure there's a permanent solution and design to this bridge project that's suitable to everyone."

Supervisor Cathy Hudgins organized the Reston meeting between residents and Nick Roper, VDOT bridge engineer for the Northern Virginia district.

Roper explained the current bridge's steel beams are corroding, with 13 of the 14 beams showing holes at the joint areas, which he said is the most unsafe part of the beams to have damage.

Built in 1969, the bridge was identified as structurally deficient in 1984. VDOT built a replacement bridge in 1993 of the same timber deck, steel beam design. In 2008, VDOT again identified the bridge as structurally deficient.

Roper would like to see the 15-year replacement cycle come to an end.

"If we just put in new beams, we're going to be having the very same meeting in 15 years," Roper said. "We need to stay away from a steel beam, timber deck design for this bridge because it's just not working."

Instead, Roper wants to build a concrete bridge he said should last 75 years if properly maintained. Though it's early in the planning phase — conceptual designs are about a week old — the estimated cost of the permanent bridge is $3 million. With the condition of the bridge, Roper is confident the project will be eligible for federal funding to cover some costs, though he recognizes the current economic situation could cause a delay.

Roper said plans for the permanent bridge would take into account the 2006 Hunter Mill Road traffic calming study, as well as the aesthetic of the area. When asked whether the new bridge would help address flooding issues, Roper said he thinks it could help calm some of the flooding for a few years, but at this point plans don't solve the problem in the long term.

Also to be decided during the planning process is how to construct the bridge in a timely and minimally disruptive manner because of the more than 21,000 cars that travel along Hunter Mill Road each day.

Roper showed the residents two options for accelerated construction plans: Build a permanent bridge to the side of the temporary bridge to slide it into place when it's ready over one weekend; or build it offsite, transport it once complete, and put it in place over one weekend.

The first option would allow the deck to be cast in place without joints, which would minimize maintenance in the future. But because it would be built to the side of the site, the disadvantages would be easements and disturbing the environment.

The second option would minimize the environmental disturbance, but increase the amount of maintenance needed in the future because of the joints.

"It's something for the community to discuss," Roper said. "From an engineering perspective, I'd like to build it on the side. But we'll have to assess how it will affect the surrounding area."

Hudgins plans to host more community meetings once detailed plans for the permanent bridge have been designed.

"The bridge right now is in bad condition, and this temporary bridge really helps us get some lead time so that plans aren't rushed through the process without community input," Hudgins said.