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VDOT closes
crumbling bridge
By Kevin Allen
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
A 77-year-old bridge spanning the Covington River on Rediviva Lane near Gid Brown Hollow Road has been closed to traffic and might be demolished, Virginia Department of Transportation officials announced Tuesday.
The span, which is located north of U.S. 211, was built in 1929 as part of the Thornton Gap Turnpike. The one-lane concrete bridge was closed due to deterioration of the deck as well as undercutting and scouring of its piers. According to a VDOT press release, engineers noticed the decay during a recent inspection and deemed the bridge unsafe for vehicular traffic.
VDOT Administrator David Cubbage said the bridge is owned by the department, but it was removed from the state-maintained highway network in 1947 when a new, four-lane U.S. 211 was built through Rappahannock County. Department officials have decided that further maintenance of the Rediviva bridge is not an effective use of resources.
VDOT officials held a meeting at the site Tuesday morning to discuss the plan with residents and county leaders. Soon after the meeting, a crew placed barricades at both ends of the bridge to prevent vehicles from using the span.
Lynn Sullivan, one of two year-round residents who live on Rediviva Lane, said after the meeting that she was
See BRIDGE, Page A2
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