CHINCOTEAGUE, VA - The Virginia Department of Transportation has announced the temporary suspension of openings of the Rt 175 bridge into Chincoteague next week for bridge upgrades.
According to VDOT, beginning Monday, May 6th, all bridge openings will be halted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the John B. Whealton Memorial Causeway Bridge to Chincoteague as maintenance upgrades are performed. The daily closures are expected to last through Wednesday, May 8th.
Bridge openings will resume for maritime traffic from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m, VDOT says.
The bridge’s vertical clearance in its closed position is 15-feet above mean high water, allowing vessels within the clearance to continue to pass underneath the bridge during maintenance at any time. No bridge lifts will be performed for any vessels over that clearance during the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday closure, however.
VDOT says there will be no impact to vehicular traffic over the bridge during the maintenance and drivers will still have access to and from Chincoteague.
The construction is dependent on weather and scheduling, so is subject to change, according to VDOT>