Posted on January 28, 2021
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) delivered to Congress its Fiscal Year 2021 (FY 2021) Work Plan for the Army Civil Works program on January 19, 2021, which included funding appropriations for the Deep Creek Bridge Replacement Project in Chesapeake, Virginia in the amount of $12,657,000.
The Work Plan identifies the projects, programs, and activities within the Civil Works program that will receive the FY 2021 funding and how much each will receive.
The Deep Creek Bridge replacement was authorized for construction by the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2007 and reauthorized at a cost of $59.5 million by the WRDA of 2020. WRDA bills are enacted to authorize water resources projects by USACE and other federal agencies.
“The Deep Creek Bridge Replacement Project is a critical project for the Deep Creek community and the city of Chesapeake. The $12.6 million in funding is a significant milestone that allows us to move toward construction and project completion,” said Col. Patrick Kinsman, Norfolk District commander. “I really appreciate the city of Chesapeake for their partnership and legislative effort to clarify and express the need for funding this project.”
Built in 1934, Deep Creek Bridge is a federally owned and operated two-lane bridge that crosses the Dismal Swamp Canal and Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway at U.S. Route 17 in Chesapeake’s Deep Creek section. The single-leaf drawbridge is considered functionally obsolete because of increasing traffic, a very narrow roadway and poor alignment with connecting roads.
The old two-lane bridge will be replaced by a 144-foot-long, 60-foot-wide, five-lane, dual-leaf drawbridge. Replacing the bridge will improve traffic flow, meet Virginia Department of Transportation and City of Chesapeake requirements. Once completed, the AIWW Deep Creek Bridge will be under the operations and ownership of the city of Chesapeake.
“Chesapeake and its residents are thankful for the award of this important funding, and how it will propel what is the most significant current infrastructure project in our City,” said Mayor Rick West. “We are thrilled that relief is on the way for those citizens and visitors that have dealt with daily backups along this critical stretch of U.S. Route 17 for many years, and we look forward to continuing the progress on the long-awaited replacement of the Deep Creek Bridge alongside our partners in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.”
Next Steps
The $12.6 million in funding will allow the Corps to move forward with construction of the project, following completion of ongoing efforts for real estate acquisition, utility relocations and construction acquisition planning.
According to Walt Trinkala, Norfolk District project manager for the Deep Creek Bridge Replacement project, the project timeline is an estimate that’s dependent upon government acquisition of real property interests and on the relocation of utilities in the project area.
Estimated Timeline:
• Complete real-estate acquisitions May 2021
• Utility-relocations completed Sept. 2021
• Ready to advertise Sept. 2021
• Construction contract award Feb. 2022
• Construction start Apr. 2022
• Construction complete Apr. 2025
Source: nao.usace.army.mil
