Ashcake Road bridge repairs delayed until Monday

ASHLAND, Va. (WWBT) - The construction on the route 657 bridge on Ashcake Road was initially slated to begin sometime Thursday but has been delayed until Monday, Sept. 12, due to a scheduling conflict, VDOT says.

“The project team ultimately decided to allow one additional weekend of travel on the bridge,” said VDOT spokesperson Kyle Gibson.

Gibson says the project will raise the clearance on this bridge by an additional foot to help prevent any future bridge strikes on I-95.

“The project will raise the vertical clearance of the bridge over I-95 and bring it up to current standards, and it will also work to repair some structural deficiencies with a bridge,” Gibson said.

VDOT says the bridge was last rated structurally deficient and continually deteriorating on annual inspections. The project will take up to a year to complete, finishing sometime in fall 2023. That means people must take detours on Lewistown Road west to north Washington Highway to bypass the construction.

Drivers should follow the posted detour route:

• Northbound Ashcake Rd. (Rt. 657) – Take Lewistown Rd. (Rt. 802) west to Washington Hwy. (Rt. 1) north back to Ashcake Rd.
• Southbound Ashcake Rd. (Rt. 657) – Take Washington Hwy. (Rt. 1) south to Lewistown Rd. (Rt. 802) east back to Ashcake Rd.

Gibson says in addition to impacts on the roads near the bridge, those driving along I-95 near route 657 will experience bottlenecking once repairs begin.

“Nightly, during the lifetime of this project, there will be single and double-lane closures below this bridge, so that’s something drivers will need to keep in mind as they drive on I-95 in Hanover County,” Gibson said.

But residents like Becky Jaiuck, who lives just off Ashcake Road on Cheroy Road in Ashland, said she and her neighbors are worried about how the detours will impact traffic on the back roads in their neighborhood.

“Traffic is gonna get a little crazy at times,” Jaiuck said. “It does kind of concern me how that’s gonna work because I’m right here at the very corner.

She says the bridge is the fastest way to Route 1 near Ashland shopping centers and restaurants. According to VDOT, the detour route is between 4.8 to 6 miles, depending on where drivers encounter the closure.

“It is progress, and progress does have a price,” Jaiuck said.

VDOT says the cost of this project will be $6.1 million, using a combination of state and federal funds. For more information about the project and road closures, click HERE.

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