chesapeake

Legislation (SB1550) is smoothly moving through the Virginia general assembly providing authority to the City of Chesapeake's plan for emergency replacement by privatization of the Jordan toll bridge which was declared unsafe and closed last November 8.

Chesapeake City Council voted Tuesday evening (Jan 27) to accept a private venture proposal to build a approx-$100m high level toll bridge over the Elizabeth River between South Norfolk and Portsmouth in the Norfolk/Hampton Roads metro area.

Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) toll operators of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge say they have to close a lane on the damaged southern span 24/7 for two to three weeks because they need to make urgent repairs to the southern parapet of the southern span. This at the height of the summer travel season on a bridge that constitutes a bottleneck even with all five lanes in operation. (UPDATE: the closures could go on for ten weeks it is now being said. See bottom.)