James River Bridge (Interstate 95)

Bridge in Richmond, Virginia

James River Bridge (I-95)

Main Street Station as seen from the northbound James River Bridge.

Coordinates| 37°31′41″N 77°25′45″W﻿ / ﻿37.5281°N 77.4293°W﻿ / 37.5281; -77.4293
Carries|  I-95
Crosses| James River
Locale| Richmond, Virginia
Maintained by| Virginia Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Total length| 4,185 feet long
History
Opened| 1958[1]
Statistics
Toll| none
Location

The James River Bridge carries Interstate 95 across the James River in Richmond, Virginia.

## History

[edit]

The original 6-lane structure was built in 1957 and 1958 as part of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike and was financed with toll revenue bonds issued by the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike Authority, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

In 1975, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) assumed the operations of former Turnpike Authority. Although the initial bonds were retired in 1975, additional tolls were collected to finance improvements along other sections of the former Turnpike.

Beginning in 1976, a complicated connection with the Downtown Expressway—a newer toll road built by the Richmond Metropolitan Authority (RMA)—was constructed on the bridge itself.

Tolls for the bridge and I-95 were finally completely removed in 1992.

The bridge was re-decked by VDOT from 1999 to August 2002.[2]

## Flooding

[edit]

The bridge is high above the river, and is not considered in danger of flooding during periods when the river periodically floods. However, in the past the southern approach has been subject to closure due to flooding of the James River, notably after Hurricane Camille in 1969, Hurricane Agnes in 1972, and Hurricane Gloria in 1985.[citation needed]

Richmond's Flood Wall, designed to prevent a 280-year flood, completed in 1995 at a cost of about $142 million, is hoped to prevent such future closures.[3]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Bridge beats the Clock." Richmond Times-Dispatch. August 3, 2002. Quoted in I-95 James River Bridge Restoration. Roads to the Future. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
2. ^ "Richmond Downtown Aerial Photos". Roadstothefuture.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
3. ^ "Richmond's Flood Wall". Richmond City Watch. Archived from the original on March 13, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

## External links

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Media related to James River Bridge (Interstate 95) at Wikimedia Commons

* DHRM WebCAM view from the 13th Floor of the State of Virginia's Monroe Building pointed Southward showing I-95 & James River Bridge in Richmond, Va.

Crossings of the James River

| Upstream
CSX Bellwood Subdivision James River Bridge
CSX, Amtrak | Interstate 95 James River Bridge
| Downstream
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge

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37°31′41″N 77°25′45.6″W﻿ / ﻿37.52806°N 77.429333°W﻿ / 37.52806; -77.429333

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