Members of the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors, along with representatives of the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the Prince Edward County Sheriff’s Office, cut a ribbon officially re-opening the Route 600 (Gulley Tavern Road) bridge over Little Saylers Creek Thursday, May 30. The bridge was shut down the night of Oct. 11, when Tropical Storm Michael caused historic flooding and damage to numerous bridges and roadways across Prince Edward County.

Damage to the Route 600 bridge included severe undermining to an abutment and erosion to concrete slope protection that led to exposure of the steel piles. To fix the bridge, sheet piling was installed in front of the abutment and about 5 feet of concrete was used to fill in between. Rip rap was placed along the wings and the bank. The existing steel beams were completely replaced with galvanized steel beams for an extended service life. New timber decking was installed and the bridge decking was completed with asphalt and new guardrail. The road was re-opened May 24, for a total closure of seven months. The service life on the new bridge is expected to be about 75 years.

Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida Oct. 10, then tracked northeastward to Southside, Virginia Thursday, Oct. 11. Widespread rainfall in the amounts of 4 to 8 inches were reported, with local amounts over 10 inches. This resulted in severe flash flooding, downed trees and power lines, and roadway washouts. At the height of Tropical Storm (TS) Michael, the Farmville VDOT Residency had 93 roads closed in Buckingham, Cumberland, Prince Edward and Charlotte counties. In Prince Edward alone, there were 39 roads closed, with four long term closures. The opening of Route 600 marks the final road in the Farmville Residency to be repaired and re-opened from effects of TS Michael.

For more information regarding the bridge construction contact VDOT at (434) 856-8176.