VDOT News - Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – The public is invited to learn more about an upcoming bridge maintenance project to improve the condition of the Route 223 (Old Ferry Road) bridge over Milford Haven in Mathews County.

A $10.7 million maintenance project will be mobilizing at the bridge in May to improve the mechanical and electrical elements that operate the bridge’s movable swing span. The project will also make spot structural steel repairs and renovate the bridge tender house.

A public information meeting has been scheduled to share information on the project. The meeting will be held:

Monday, April 18, 2022
5-8 p.m.
Gwynn’s Island Civic League Center
1996 Old Ferry Road
Gwynn, Virginia 23066

Brief presentations will be delivered at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. In addition to the scheduled presentations, which will be identical, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and contractor staff will also be available between 5-8 p.m. to answer questions in an open house format. The project contractor is Archer Western Construction, LLC.

Built in 1938, the Route 223 bridge over Milford Haven connects Gwynn’s Island with mainland Mathews County. The bridge opens for marine traffic around 3,000 times a year, which is more than any other state-maintained movable bridge in Virginia.

The bridge’s navigational clearance is 11 feet vertically and 80 feet horizontally when closed. Watercraft that cannot navigate underneath the bridge within this clearance requires the swing span to open.

Due to the condition of the bridge, openings for marine traffic are currently limited to six times a day: 2 a.m., 5 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

The upcoming maintenance project will restore the ability of the bridge to open on demand for marine traffic.
Repairs will require the bridge to close to all marine traffic for approximately six months, which is estimated to occur from August 2022 through March 2023. Watercraft that do not require a bridge opening will be able to continue traveling under the bridge during the project.

For vehicle traffic, periodic single lane closures with one-way, alternating traffic will be needed at the bridge during daytime hours.

Over two evenings during fall 2022, the bridge will be closed to all Route 223 vehicle traffic between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Emergency service providers will be pre-staged on Gwynn’s Island to respond to any urgent needs during the bridge closure.

Specific dates for the closure will be announced in advance this fall, once work is underway and a detailed project schedule is available. The overnight closure dates will be communicated on message boards placed near the bridge approaches, as well as through news releases, the project page on VirginiaDOT.org, and through social media channels.

All work on this project is anticipated to be complete by April 5, 2023.

Learn more about the project online at virginiadot.org/Route223bridge. Meeting materials will be posted to the project page on April 18.

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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.

Information in VDOT news releases was accurate at the time the release was published. For the most current information about projects or programs, please visit the project or program Web pages. You may find those by searching by keyword in the search Virginia DOT box above.