CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) said it has completed repairs on the Deep Creek Bridge in Chesapeake, and the road has reopened to traffic.
USACE had said it needed the bridge to be closed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday to perform maintenance work on the crossing, but updated to say the work was finished shortly after 1:30 p.m.
According to a news release from USACE, the closure was needed so crews could fix damage to the support beams of the bridge. We're told that the damage is minor but the repair is needed to make sure the Deep Creek Bridge remains safe for the public.
The repair comes after a recent inspection of the bridge by the Army Corps of Engineers. The agency said inspections are conducted every two years and while the 2022 inspection revealed no significant structural damage, the latest inspection showed accelerated corrosion.
This maintenance work is not related to the Deep Creek Bridge replacement project, which is currently underway.
The Deep Creek Bridge is 90 years old and according to a previous release from the Army Corps of Engineers, "the single-leaf drawbridge is considered functionally obsolete because of increasing traffic, a very narrow roadway and poor alignment with connecting roads."
The replacement bridge is expected to improve traffic flow. The first two lanes of the new bridge could become available for public use in 2025.