VDOT closes Carroll Co. road for bridge repairs, frustrates community members

By Ashley Roberts
WSLS10 Reporter
Published: May 15, 2008

Click here to read letter.

Frustrations run high for community members as they wait for VDOT to re-open a small portion of route 743 in Austinville.

Bob Beasley, with VDOT, says it closed on April 29th after inspectors found parts of the bridge were quickly deteriorating.

At first, VDOT anticipated it would be closed to traffic for at least eight months which prompting County Administrator Gary Larrowe to write a letter on behalf of the county and citizens.

In it he says: “This is absolutely unacceptable from my stand point and that of the board of supervisors and local citizens...some 440 vehicles use route 743 on a daily basis....with the detour of 12 miles...I can quickly calculate an additional fuel expense to local citizens of $266,880.

WSLS 10 on your side calculated and that’s works out to about $76 a month for each person that uses the bridge.

In response to the county administrator’s letter and needs of the community, Beasley says he is exploring an emergency contract and has called contractors to put in their bids and expects work to start as early as next week. “We were already exploring emergency contracts and approaching it that way...the county’s letter just kind of confirmed and cemented that position.”

Beasley also says VDOT built into the contract a “substantial completion date of August 22.”

Until then, Randy Grimes, who lives on the road, has opened his private driveway so community members can get around the detour. “They still stop and say I’m saving them so much.”

Grimes’ road is one drivers are taking until route 743 re-opens, but one VDOT doesn’t recommend.

Here’s the detour information provided by VDOT:

From the north: Traffic will be diverted onto Route 52 south, then west onto Route 620 (Coulson Church Road) and then west onto Route 740 (Rescue Road) back to Route 743.

From the south: Traffic will be diverted east onto Route 740 (Rescue Road), to east on Route 620 (Coulson Church Road) and then north onto Route 52 back to Route 743.

Here’s a look at the news release VDOT released on April 25,2008 about the closure of Route 743:

Beginning Tuesday, April 29, the Route 743 (Pleasant View Road) bridge over Handy Creek in Carroll County will be closed to through traffic.  During a routine inspection of the bridge, inspectors observed an increased rate of deterioration of the pipe arch and determined that the bridge should be closed to traffic. The Route 743 bridge over Handy Creek is located in the northern part of Carroll County, west of Interstate 77, 0.4 miles from Route 745 and 1.3 miles from Route 796. Motorists should seek alternate routes around the closure.  The bridge is expected to remain closed to through traffic for at least eight months. Detour signs will be in place to advise motorists of a detour. Whenever VDOT identifies bridges with structural concerns, immediate action is taken to post weight limits, detour traffic and repair these structures before traffic is allowed back on them. The Route 743 bridge is a pipe arch structure that was built in 1981. The bridge carries approximately 440 vehicles per day.  It is currently inspected every month and most recently had a weight restriction of 15 tons. VDOT inspects all its bridges at least once every two years unless there are issues with a structure due to age, deterioration, bridge damage or other known concerns.  In these cases, more frequent inspections are conducted.