FREDERICKSBURG – The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and its contractor will begin a structural steel rehabilitation project on the Robert O. Norris Jr. Bridge in late March.
Travelers can expect overnight delays on Route 3 over the Rappahannock River. The $7.1 million maintenance project is necessary to maintain the Norris Bridge as preliminary engineering work progresses on a separate bridge replacement project.
Norris Bridge is listed in fair condition and remains safe for traffic with its current 45-ton weight limit posting. This maintenance project will replace or strengthen portions of the bridge’s structural steel.
The 67-year-old bridge is nearly 2 miles long and connects Lancaster and Middlesex counties.
A portion of the bridge will be reduced to a single travel lane for the overnight work. Automated flagging devices will direct traffic through the work zone. Flagging crew members operate the devices, which can be rapidly adjusted to respond to congestion or incidents on the bridge.
Overnight lane closures are anticipated to be scheduled on Route 3 for approximately two weeks to take measurements and to verify materials needed to make the repairs.
Starting Monday, March 31, lane closures will occur at the following times:
- Monday – Friday, Midnight – 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. – Midnight
- Saturday – Sunday, Midnight – 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. – Midnight
Message boards will be posted at both bridge approaches to alert travelers to the upcoming work zone.
Once measurements are complete, the necessary steel elements are manufactured to repair the bridge.
Crews anticipate the structural steel elements will take about a month to fabricate and ship to the project area.
The contractor plans to work both day and night to complete the rehabilitation project. Daytime work will take place from barges with heavy equipment that will be staged in the river later this spring. The barges will not impede on marine vessels’ use of the waterway.
Full, brief traffic stops will be needed at various times throughout the project. VDOT will give travelers advance notice of those dates and times. It will also be posted online on the project page on vdot.virginia.gov.
The closure of both lanes will occur in 15-minute intervals between midnight and 3 a.m. Traffic stops will always be lifted immediately if an emergency response vehicle needs to travel through the work zone.
Weather permitting, all structural steel repairs are expected to be complete by September 2026.
Norris Bridge Replacement Project
Funding to replace the Norris Bridge was confirmed by the Commonwealth Transportation Board in 2021 when it voted to approve the Special Structures 50-Year Long-Term Plan.
Preliminary engineering work is underway to provide the foundation for the successful design and construction phases of the project.
Updates on lane closures for this work zone will be available on 511.vdot.virginia.gov. Travelers can also download the free mobile 511Virginia app, or call 511 from any phone in Virginia.
