WHITE STONE—The paving and milling operation on the Robert O. Norris Jr. Memorial Bridge was temporarily halted last week as a Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) bridge inspection team completed a thorough inspection of the bridge’s key support elements and found the structure to be safe to carry vehicles of all legal weights.
On Wednesday, August 15, a VDOT construction inspector reported an abnormal sound that potentially indicated a safety concern with a bridge element. VDOT lowered the vehicle weight limit to 3 tons for motorist safety on Wednesday evening while it inspected the bridge.
Construction crews vacated the bridge. Route 3 was reduced to a single lane on Norris Bridge. Traffic was stopped on each bridge approach in Lancaster and Middlesex counties and a pilot vehicle was used to guide one-way, alternating traffic across the structure. Passenger vehicles, light duty pickup trucks and ambulances were permitted to cross the Norris Bridge. Virginia State Police were stationed at each bridge approach to enforce the 3-ton weight restriction……
