Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

The Tallest Bridges in Virginia

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by

James A. Bacon
in ,

bridge

The tallest bridges in Virginia are now under construction in Buchanan County at the Kentucky border. The project, known as the Route 460 Connector Phase 1, entails the construction of twin, 1,700-feet-long bridges spanning Grassy Creek. The bridges will stand 250 feet tall upon completion in the summer of 2015, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation website. The project is valued at $113 million.

This photo was taken by a transportation junkie, who asked not to be identified, on a trip through Southwest Virginia.

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8 responses to “The Tallest Bridges in Virginia”

  1. DJRippert Avatar
    DJRippert

    A bridge to nowhere?

  2. reed fawell III Avatar
    reed fawell III

    Good for Bungee Jumping maybe.

  3. DJRippert Avatar
    DJRippert

    Put a “user pays” toll on those bridges. What amount per trip do you think would be required?

    Oh, I forgot – tolls are only for urbanized areas. Everywhere else drives for free.

  4. larryg Avatar
    larryg

    I’d go for a toll on any new infrastructure myself. Everyone should get themselves a transponder with a toll account and be prepared to pay.

    I’ve had a transponder now for a while.. probably more than 5 years. It’s registered to 3 cars (you can do that) but it usually sits on the one we travel in though we have pulled it out and used it other cars – including ones we don’t own, I just add the license tag.

    Oh.. and the CBBT is not in an urbanized area DJ..

    what struck me about these bridges was the cost. 113 million is cheap for bridges that size and height/length. Bridge Construction has come down although I do believe the WW was more than a billion…. and yes it should be tolled also – and the money used to upgrade NoVa transportation!

    east coast travellers passing through NoVa would GLADLY pay tolls if it got them a separate lane from the local morons.

    whenever we travel up the northeast, we take the transponder and we glide right through the toll booths, just get in the EZPASS lanes and you’re good to go.

    what I like about the toll lanes is the people who are there are there for a good enough reason that it’s worth it to them… and the ones that’s it’s not – they’re not there… cluttering things up.

    I don’t know what the traffic count is on 460 but if you double the 200 million and make it a 30 year bond – you can see how much the toll would have to be.

    By the way – you head west on I-64 and you run right smack into the West Va Turnpike..and again with the transponder.. it’s no big deal.

    1. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      “Oh.. and the CBBT is not in an urbanized area DJ.”.

      Hmmm …. help me here – a bridge has two ends. What are the two ends of the CBBT? I’ll give you a hint – one end is essentially Cape Charles, VA. What is the other end? Could it be the podunk, rustic little town of Virginia Beach in the middle of Virginia’s second largest population center?

      1. larryg Avatar
        larryg

        when originally built – there were no urban things on either end.

        but if you don’t like that one how about the Nice Bridge downstream of DC?

        there are QUITE a FEW toll roads that are out in the middle of nowhere guy.

        THe Pennsylvania and New Jersey Pikes go through considerable rural land.

        or how about the Chesapeake Expressway to the Outer Banks?

        the Maine Turnpike?

        1. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          Like your hero Obama, you just make things up to support your argument. The CBBT opened for business in 1964. By the time of the next census (1970) Virginia Beach (the city, not the Tidewater area) had a population of 172,000 (almost the same size as Arlington County in 1970). That’s 50% more people than Spotsylvania County has today.

  5. DJRippert Avatar
    DJRippert

    “or how about the Chesapeake Expressway to the Outer Banks?”

    Runs through the third most populous city in Virginia – the City of Chesapeake. Chesapeake has a population greater than Richmond or Alexandria.

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