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$3.65-million Waterloo Bridge restoration begins

Construction has begun to restore the 142-year-old Waterloo Bridge over the Rappahannock River at the Culpeper-Fauquier county line, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced Monday.

Initial project tasks include installing environmental controls, building construction entrances and removing trees in the immediate vicinity of the bridge.

Under a $3.65-million construction contract, Corman Kokosing Construction Co. will dismantle, remove, repair and reinstall the single-lane truss bridge. The bridge’s piers will be repaired and the approach spans will receive new steel beams and a timber deck.

“It is anticipated that some bridge components will not be fit for continued use and will be replaced with new materials,” VDOT said in a press release. “Every effort will be made to replicate the look of the historic bridge, including its green paint color.”

The bridge will reopen to traffic by April 30, 2021, with an expected 12-ton weight restriction.

The Waterloo bridge, a wrought-iron truss structure about seven miles west of Warrenton, dates to 1878. Because of significant deterioration, VDOT closed the bridge to traffic in January 2014.

For more, visit the project page on VDOT’s website.