Public hearing on plans to be held on Thursday evening at James Monroe High School.
By Hank Silverberg
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Significant change will soon be coming to a highly traveled bridge in Fredericksburg—the Rappahannock Canal bridge, which carries U.S. 1 (Emancipation Highway, as it’s named in the city of Fredericksburg) over the canal and the pedestrian path adjoining the canal.
It is located a short distance away from James Monroe High School between Mary Washington Boulevard and Fall Hill Avenue, and the Virginia Department of Transportation says it carries about 27,000 vehicles per day.
It will be replaced with a new bridge that will allow for wider travel lanes and for improved pedestrian sidewalks both on the bridge and on the approach to it.
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It could, depending on the final design, also allow more vertical clearance between the bridge and the canal path, which passes underneath. The improvements will also provide better accessibility from U.S. 1 to the canal path.
The $21.4 million project is scheduled to start in late 2027 with completion scheduled in the spring of 2028. It’s being funded through Virginia’s State of Good Repair bridge replacement program.
According to VDOT, U.S. 1 will remain open at the bridge most of the time during construction, though there may be some closures overnight and during off-peak travel times.
But the part of the canal path that runs under the bridge will be closed during construction.
There will be a public hearing on plans for the new bridge on Thursday, October 17, between 5 and 7 p.m., at James Monroe High School.
The public can view project materials on the project page and submit comments via an online survey. Comments on the project will be accepted at the public hearing and afterward through Monday, Oct. 28.
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