George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge

Coleman Bridge

The Coleman Bridge as seen from Yorktown as it connects with Gloucester Point.
Coordinates 37°14′33″N 76°30′25″W / 37.2426°N 76.5070°W / 37.2426; -76.5070Coordinates: 37°14′33″N 76°30′25″W / 37.2426°N 76.5070°W / 37.2426; -76.5070
Carries 4 lanes of US 17
Crosses York River
Locale Gloucester Point and Yorktown, Virginia
Official name George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge
Maintained by Virginia Department of Transportation
ID number 000000000019824
Characteristics
Design Swing bridge, with two swinging spans
Material High-strength steel
Total length 3,750 feet (1,140 m)
Longest span 450 feet (140 m)
Clearance below 60 feet (18 m)
History
Designer Parsons Brinckerhoff
Opened May 7, 1952; rebuilt in spring 1995
Statistics
Daily traffic 33,595 (2005)
Toll $2.00 (northbound only) Smart Tag/E-ZPass

The George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge (known locally as simply the Coleman Bridge) is a double swing bridge that spans the York River between Yorktown and Gloucester Point, in the United States state of Virginia. It connects the Peninsula and Middle Peninsula regions of Tidewater, Virginia. The bridge is the only public crossing of the York River, though State Route 33 crosses both of its tributaries (the Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers) at just above its source at West Point.

History

Originally built in 1952, it was reconstructed and widened in 1995 through an unusual process which greatly reduced the time the important commuter artery was out-of-service from conventional methods. The current 3,750-foot (1,140 m)-long double-swing-span bridge carries United States Route 17, a four-lane arterial highway. The movable span is needed to allow ship access to several military installations that are upstream of the bridge, most notably, the United States Navy's Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. The roadways are almost 90 feet (27 m) above the river at the highest point of the bridge. The bridge is the largest double-swing-span bridge in the United States, and second largest in the world.[1][2]

The toll bridge was named for George P. Coleman, who from 1913 to 1922 was the head of the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation, predecessor to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The bridge has been one of the sites of a special program to establish and encourage nesting locations for the peregrine falcon population of Virginia.

The George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge is a toll facility. Tolls are only collected northbound, and are used to pay for the expansion of the bridge to four lanes. Toll Collection Rates are as follows:

Bicycles taking advantage of the free crossing must use the established bicycle lane located to the right of the far right travel lane.[3]

Photos

See also

References

  1. ↑ "BUILDING BIG: Databank: George P. Coleman Bridge". pbs.org.
  2. ↑ "George P. Coleman Bridge". roadstothefuture.com.
  3. ↑ "VDOT :: Coleman Bridge". ezpassva.com.
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