Public hearing set for replacement of Fauquier-area bridge

Monday, Mar. 18 | By Mark Grandstaff

ORLEAN - The Virginia Department of Transportation wants to hear from Fauquier residents about a proposed replacement for the Thumb Run bridge on Leeds Manor Road near Orlean.

The meeting will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on March 26, at the Orlean Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department located at 6838 Leeds Manor Road.

The project would replace the existing structure over Thumb Run, built in 1925, with a new two-lane, pre-stressed concrete slab bridge. The proposed bridge will be 54 feet long and 26 feet wide, situated in about the same location as the current Thumb Run bridge.

Another structure, about 350 feet south of the bridge that spans the tributary of Thumb Run, would be replaced with a new concrete box culvert.

The project would be built using a phased road closure to allow access for local traffic. VDOT expects work to start in the spring of 2015, and figures it will take 15 months to complete.

According to a 2011 count, about 580 vehicles drive over the bridge every day.

The project’s estimated cost is $1.9 million and is subject to change as the design is finalized.

VDOT will bring project plans and environmental documents, as well as right of way and easement information, to the public hearing. That information can also be found at VDOT’s Culpeper District Office located at 1601 Orange Road in Culpeper.

For more information, call (540) 829-7500 or 1-800-367-7623. If you cannot attend, written comments can be submitted by April 5 to Howard Tomlinson, Project Manager, 1601 Orange Road, Culpeper VA 22701.

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