Woodbridge, Va. — It could be this fall, at the start of the new school year, when a small bridge on Blackburn Road will be reopened.
Prince William Woodbridge Supervisor Frank Principi stated the two-lane bridge near Rippon Boulevard needs to be replaced at a cost of $1 million, and that a portion of Blackburn Road will remain closed as repairs are made.
The Virginia Department of Transportation closed the bridge earlier this month after cracks were found to have caused the failure of one bridge abutment. Weather conditions over time have added to the deterioration of the bridge, Principi added.
VDOT is working under emergency measures to fix the bridge, said Principi.
Three schools sit nearby the bridge – Rippon Middle and Elementary schools, and Porter Traditional School.
Prince William County Schools’ Department of Transportation made some minor changes to bus routes after the bridge failed.
“It has been only a minor inconvenience causing a few buses to be re-routed. Road closures are a fact of life in the transportation business,” said schools transportation spokesman Edward Bishop.
