Robert O. Norris Bridge

The Robert O. Norris bridge is a truss bridge that spans the Rappahannock River between Lancaster County and Middlesex County in Virginia. It serves as the crossing for State Route 3 over the river. It was opened on August 30, 1957, and replaced the old ferry service. It is also known by locals as the White Stone Bridge or Rappahannock River Bridge. The water is over 60 feet deep near the center of the bridge. The bridge is maintained by VDOT.

Originally conceived in the 1930s, planning work on the bridge began in earnest in 1950, and construction began in 1954. Four workers were killed in construction accidents on the bridge. The Norris Bridge is 9,985 feet long, and provides a Mean High Water clearance of 110 feet under the center span. Prior to the placement of the current traffic safety barrier, in its 50+ years there are two known fatal accidents involving cars flipping off the bridge into the water below.

When first opened, the bridge was crossed by just over 1,000 vehicles per day, on average. The tolls were removed from the bridge in 1976, and by 1978 the average daily traffic had risen to over 2,500 vehicles per day. Today, more than 11,000 vehicles cross the two lane bridge each day.

Dominion Virginia Power operates a 115 kilovolt (kV) transmission line that is attached to the side of the bridge.

Monitoring Efforts

Since October 2015, the Virginia Department of Transportation deployed a [Draft:Resensys] remote monitoring system to monitor the fracture critical member of the Robert Norris Bridge. The system has been in use to monitor strain and temperature on selected floor beams, girders of the bridge.

External links

• Robert O. Norris Bridge at Structurae