Jordan Bridge

Norfolk-Portsmouth Bridge redirects here. For the facility to the north, which consists of theBerkley BridgeandDowntown Tunnel,seeNorfolk-Portsmouth Bridge-Tunnel.

South Norfolk Jordan Bridge
The new South Norfolk Jordan Bridge
Coordinates	36°48′30″N76°17′24″W
Carries	Vehicles, pedestrians
Crosses	Southern Branch Elizabeth River
Locale	Chesapeake,Portsmouth
Official name	South Norfolk Jordan Bridge
Other name(s)	Jordan Bridge
Owner	United Bridge Partners
Characteristics
Total length	about 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
Height	145 ft (44 m)
Location

TheJordan Bridge,officially named theSouth Norfolk Jordan Bridge,is atolledhighway fixed bridge which carriesState Route 337over theSouthern Branch Elizabeth Riverbetween theCity of Portsmouthinto theCity of ChesapeakeinSouth Hampton Roads,Virginia.The new crossing is an all-electronic toll facility that eliminated bridge lifts and height and weight restrictions and restored a vital river crossing for the Hampton Roads region.

Originally opened in 1928, it was privately built by an organization led bySouth Norfolkbusinessmen Wallace and Carl Jordan. It was later renamed the Jordan Bridge, principally to honor long-standing manager Carl M. Jordan. The oldest drawbridge in Virginia, the 80-year-old bridge had reached the end of its useful life by 2008. Faced with diminishing returns on millions of dollars in needed maintenance and unknown reliability, it was permanently closed on November 8, 2008.

A replacement bridge, built with 100% private funds, and paid for by tolls, was approved by Chesapeake City Council on January 27, 2009. The newSouth Norfolk Jordan Bridgewas originally scheduled to be completed by July 2010,but was finally completed and opened for use on October 27, 2012.It is owned and operated by United Bridge Partners, a business consortium consisting of Figg Bridge Builders and a private infrastructure investment firm.

Early history

Originally known as theNorfolk-Portsmouth Bridge,the bridge was planned and financing organized bySouth NorfolkbusinessmanCarl M. Jordan,who operated Jordan Brothers Lumber Co. with his brother Wallace. The Jordan brothers brought lumber from theGreat Dismal Swampto their lumber mill in South Norfolk, and had come to believe that the existingNorfolk County Ferry Servicewas not dependable enough for the needs of their business, or others in the community.

It was aWaddell & Harrington-typevertical-lift drawbridgeand was designed by Harrington, Howard, & Ash (engineers) ofKansas City, Missouri.It was completed at a cost of $1.25 million, and opened on August 24, 1928, as atoll bridgewith a ceremony attended by Virginia's GovernorHarry F. Byrd.

Many years later, the bridge was renamed for Carl Jordan, who also had served as general manager and executive vice president of the South Norfolk Bridge Commission, Inc., a non-profit corporation organized in 1944 to manage the bridge. Ownership of the bridge was transferred to theCity of Chesapeakeafter the Bridge Commission's indebtedness was finally satisfied in 1977.

Incidents: collisions with ships, mechanical failure

TheSouthern Branch Elizabeth Riveris heavily used by ocean-going vessels to reach industrial facilities and ashipyardupstream from the Jordan Bridge. Traffic bound for theAtlantic Intracoastal Waterwayalso passes through this point.

The Jordan Bridge was struck by ships several times. On June 2, 1939, an oil tanker struck it, and the east tower and lift span collapsed into the river, injuring two bridge employees, and closing it for more than 6 months. Another major collision of a ship occurred on June 13, 1943. The most recent collision with a ship was in January, 2004.

In more recent years, there were periodic problems with the lift mechanism in addition to occasional collisions. When stuck in the "down" position, navigation for ocean-going vessels was severely inhibited, leading to concerns by shipping companies, ship operators and theU.S. Navy,whoseshipyardis just downstream from the span. The equipment was mechanically obsolete, and repair parts were often unavailable.

Modern use

In recent years, the bridge was heavily traveled during morning and afternoon rush hours by motor vehicle traffic. A substantial portion of those were shipyard workers from theNorfolk Naval Shipyard.Navy personnel assigned to the ships docked there also commute from homes in the eastern portion of South Hampton Roads, which includes the cities ofNorfolkandVirginia Beachand a large portion of the City of Chesapeake.

The Jordan Bridge also had served effectively as an alternate route when other key river crossings in the area were congested or closed, most notably afterHurricane Isabelin October 2003 when theMidtown Tunnelconnecting Portsmouth and Norfolk was flooded. Tolls on the Jordan Bridge were temporarily suspended, and daily traffic increased by 20,000 vehicles.

As the bridge and its approaches have only one lane in each direction, traffic backups and delays often occurred in more recent years. The Jordan Bridge was the oldest drawbridge in Virginia. Formerly operated by the City of Chesapeake's Department of Public Works, it had a restricted weight limit of 3 tons. Daily toll revenue was approximately $5,000. The toll (collected on the Chesapeake side) for both direction was 50 cents formotorcycles,75 cents for two axle vehicles, $1.00 for three axles and $1.25 for four axles. There were no facilities forelectronic toll collection.

Replacement

Necessary repairs requiring too much expenditure,caused the city council to vote to shut down the bridge in October 2008.

The new bridge has a bi-directional, tiered toll structure based on vehicle class, peak/off peak period, and E-ZPass/Pay-by-Plate payment option, with a free pedestrian walkway/jogging path. The new South Norfolk Jordan Bridge opened on October 26, 2012,at a reported construction cost of $142 million.

On December 16, 2022, a fire occurred at a trash plant near the Jordan Bridge, causing it to close.The bridge was re-opened January 7, 2023.

External links

• Crossing the Jordan: an article with a lot of the bridge's history in Christopher Newport University'sLookoutMagazine
• South Norfolk Jordan Bridge official website