By Tim Cherry
Staff Writer
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Construction workers began tearing down the Old Gunston Bridge Monday.
The project will create traffic delays on U.S. Route 1 but crews are minimizing the impact by working during non-rush hour time periods.
Fort Belvoir will not experience traffic stoppages because a new five-lane bridge, which opened in late 2011, has replaced the old two-lane bridge.
The tearing down, which will be done by Shirley Contracting, involves removing fences, walls, concrete and the two steel beams that stretch across Route 1. Construction workers placed a safety net underneath the bridge to catch any debris before it falls onto Route 1.
Nhat Tran, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Capital Area Integrated Program Office project engineer, said contractors will divert traffic on Route 1 to one lane north bound and south bound periodically during the process.
The beam removal phase will create a brief traffic stoppage.
Tran stressed construction workers will keep delays to a bare minimum as the work will only impede traffic at night.
According to Col. Moffatt, deputy garrison commander for Base Realignment and Closure and transformation, the material from the old bridge, which is more than 50 years old, will be recycled.
The total cost for the building and removal process for both bridges exceeds $2 million dollars.
The new bridge, which is expected to last around 75 years, is four lanes north bound and south bound with a left turn lane towards First Street.
Tran said the new structure is double the size of its older counterpart and is
better designed to handle the population increase from BRAC.
According to Moffatt, Gunston Road receives 60 percent of the daily traffic flow on post.
“It was built with BRAC in mind and to accommodate the new traffic volume that we’re expecting,” Tran said.
The new bridge is also longer than the previous structure which provides space for the future widening of Route 1, between Telegraph Road and Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, to a six-lane road with a mass transit service in the median.
“It’s a win-win for both the military and Fairfax County,” Moffatt said. “We’re very proud of the bridge and all the road construction taking place on Belvoir.”
