Richmond officials this morning said the Lee Bridge appears to be structurally safe and that vehicle traffic can continue across the span over the James River.
The pedestrian foot bridge under the Lee Bridge, however, will remain closed for the near future until a canopy can be constructed over a section where a piece of concrete fell on it from the Lee Bridge over the weekend.
City officials said an inspection this morning showed that the piece of concrete that fell -- which was roughly 3 feet long and several inches thick -- was a repair patch that had been applied in 2005.
The city plans to conduct a more thorough inspection of the Lee Bridge this week but said initial indications are that the span remains safe.
The city had planned to build a 50-foot-long wooden canopy today on the foot bridge that carries pedestrians from the north bank of the James to Belle Isle in the middle of the river.
But officials said it was too windy to begin the job today, so the foot bridge will remain closed for the near future.
No one was injured when the concrete chunk fell late Saturday afternoon near the Belle Isle end of the 1,040-foot pedestrian bridge.
The modern Lee Bridge opened to traffic in June 1988 at a cost of about $32 million, replacing the original bridge of the same name that opened in 1935.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement