PORTSMOUTH, Va. — A fire at a nearby waste facility shut down the Portsmouth side of the South Norfolk Jordan Bridge nearly two weeks ago.
On Wednesday, the work began to repair the damage and reopen the widely traveled roadway.
A Wheelabrator waste facility spokesperson said the road to the bridge remains closed in Portsmouth as construction crews take down damaged pieces from a conveyor belt that caught fire on Dec. 16.
At this point, they don't know how long this process will take.
The bridge’s general manager, Kevin Crum, sent the following statement:
“The Jordan Bridge has remained open on a limited basis (and tolling) to support NNSY parking and local businesses immediately adjacent to the Jordan Bridge via Chesapeake/I-464. The traffic/revenue loss is approximately 70% of daily traffic volumes, based on historic traffic comparisons. Drivers will not experience any increase in tolls as a result of traffic/revenue loss caused by this incident. We will address any traffic/revenue loss with the responsible parties."
But the closure on the Portsmouth side is bringing some uncertainty for business owners across the water in Chesapeake.
Jo Josue has owned Southside BBQ for four years. He said many of his customers come from the shipyard and Portsmouth.
“I do have concerns now,” Josue said. “I'm not sure how much it's going to affect us, but I'm pretty sure it will affect us."
Wheelabrator officials said that the necessary equipment to bring down damaged sections of the conveyer belt will arrive Wednesday and Thursday.
“I don't know how long it's going to take, but I hope they get it done soon,” said Josue.
Wheelabrator officials said the cause of the fire is still under investigation and they are still working on how long it will take to fully repair the structure.
Portsmouth firefighters responded to the scene on the day of the fire and said the structure was too unstable to conduct an investigation. However, Wheelabrator said it has staff that responds to fire incidents.