Beginning with this newsletter, HRTPO staff will highlight one project from the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) each month.  The HRTPO TIP Project of the Month for October is the Replacement of the Lesner Bridge in Virginia Beach. The Lesner Bridge is located where Shore Drive crosses the Lynnhaven Inlet.  The project will replace the twin spans that currently provide two lanes of traffic in each direction with new twin spans providing the same capacity.  The new facility, however, will provide the potential to expand to six-lanes in the future and will include a multiuse path in each direction.

Vital Stats

• According to the latest Hampton Roads Regional Bridge Study, scheduled to be published by the HRTPO in November 2012, the Lesner Bridge is classified as structurally deficient.  (A structurally deficient bridge is a structure with elements that need to be monitored and/or repaired.  It should be noted that a structurally deficient bridge is not necessarily unsafe, but requires more frequent inspections and maintenance.)
• The current structures carry approximately 39,400 vehicles per day
• Current cost estimate: $95,014,406
• Current funding shortfall: $10,124,844
• Funding Breakdown:

o    $84,139,690 State Bond Funds

o    $749,872 Federal Demonstration Funds

• Construction is expected to begin in January 2014
• Construction is expected to take approximately three years

Trivia

• The first Lesner Bridge was a two-lane drawbridge built in 1928.  The drawbridge was replaced by a two-lane fixed-span bridge in 1958.  In 1967, a parallel two-lane bridge was constructed at the site.  The older span carries eastbound traffic and the newer span carries westbound traffic.
• The bridge was named after John A. Lesner, a Virginia State Senator who represented Norfolk County and the City of Norfolk from 1908-1916 and 1923-1938.

For more information on the HRTPO TIP, go to www.hrtpotip.org.

Image of new Lesner Bridge Credit: City of Virginia Beach

Location Map from HRTPO TIP