A fire truck was the first vehicle to cross the new Mingles Hill Bridge in Stafford County. (Mary Davidson/PotomacLocal.com)
Stafford County, Va. –– A fire truck from the Brooke Fire Department and a Stafford County fire and rescue ambulance were the first vehicles to cross a new bridge as it opened Tuesday in Stafford.
Members of Stafford’s Board of Supervisors gathered this morning to celebrate the opening of the new bridge over Courthouse Road, called the Mingles Hill Bridge. Vice Chairman Paul Milde, Aquia District, and Rock Hill District representative Cord Sterling, who is also a member of the Commonwealth Transportation Board, participated in a ribbon-cutting at the bridge, which officially opened today to traffic.
Improving transportation in Stafford has long been a focus of the Board of Supervisors, which has worked hard over the last several years to make Stafford’s roads safer for drivers. “After almost 100 years of service, the old bridge simply outlived its useful life,” said Chairman of the Board Mark Dudenhefer. “We have been looking forward to the opening of this new bridge for a long time because it will make driving in this area of Stafford much safer and accessible for residents and businesses.”
The first Mingles Hill Bridge was built in 1917. (Mary Davidson/PotomacLocal.com)
Supervisor [Paul] Milde knows first-hand that the residents in his district, in which the bridge is located, have been challenged over the years by the older bridge. But that has changed today for the better. “This modern bridge structure will enhance the quality of life for our residents because now vehicles of all weights can travel across it safely, making it easier for public safety vehicles, delivery trucks and others to serve the community,” Mr. Milde said. “It also opens up opportunties to expand rail service in this area, which has the potential to bring more businesses and jobs to Stafford County.”
The old bridge, which was built in 1917 by RF&P Railroad, was single lane, which meant vehicles could only pass one at a time. It also had a 15-ton weight limit; the new bridge has no weight restrictions. The new bridge features 12-foot travel lanes and 8-foot shoulders. It has a 23-foot clearance over the railroad tracks below. According to the Virginia Department of Transportation, the new bridge span was designed to allow enough clearance for future construction of a third railroad track, which is expected to boost the number of trains carrying passengers and freight cargo.
“This is a project of multi-modal significance, improving travel for rail passengers,” Mr. [Cord] Sterling said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Increasingly, Virginians have demonstrated a desire to travel by train. Virginia Railway Express has been operating for close to 20 years, but the top 10 days of ridership on the commuter train line have all been marked since March 1 of this year. Amtrak had a 10 percent gain in passengers on Virginia trains from October of 2010 to April of this year, compared to the same months last year.”
Construction on the bridge began in the summer of 2010. Abernathy Construction Corp. of Glen Allen, Va., built the bridge, using federal funds. The project’s total cost is approximately $7.1 million. The 1917 bridge will be demolished over the next several weeks.
The new bridge will pay homage to the residents – both past and current – in the community through its name, which is the Mingles Hill Bridge. The name was approved by the Stafford County Historical Commission, after it had been presented a petition signed by 44 residents asking that the bridge be given that name. They said that generations of citizens in the area referred to a hill in the vicinity of the bridge as “Mingles Hill.” The Stafford Board of Supervisors subsequently approved the name in 2009.
