Huguenot Memorial Bridge
Encyclopedia
Huguenot Memorial Bridge is located in Henrico County
and the independent city
of Richmond, Virginia
. It carries State Route 147 across the former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
(now the James River Line of CSX Transportation
), the James River and Kanawha Canal
, and the James River
in the fall line
region above the head of navigation at Richmond.
The Huguenot Memorial Bridge was completed in 1950. The 2900 ft span replaced the low-level Westham Bridge
which had been built as a toll bridge
in 1911, and had been subject to flooding and was inadequate for traffic in the growing suburban area.
The Huguenot Memorial Bridge was named in honor of the French Huguenot
settlers who came to the area in the 18th century to escape religious persecution in France. It is owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation
(VDOT) and is the western-most bridge over the James River in the metropolitan Richmond area that is open to pedestrians.
The current bridge is facing significant structural issues. After years of problems maintaining the deck and pavement, as of 2008, a replacement was included in the limited number of high priority projects underway with the Virginia Department of Transportation
(VDOT). Construction began in 2010.
Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. As of 2010, Henrico was home to 306,935 people. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and the independent city
Independent city
An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...
of Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. It carries State Route 147 across the former Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
(now the James River Line of CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
), the James River and Kanawha Canal
James River and Kanawha Canal
The James River and Kanawha Canal was a canal in Virginia, which was built to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast....
, and the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
in the fall line
Fall line
A fall line is a geomorphologic unconformity between an upland region of relatively hard crystalline basement rock and a coastal plain of softer sedimentary rock. A fall line is typically prominent when crossed by a river, for there will often be rapids or waterfalls...
region above the head of navigation at Richmond.
The Huguenot Memorial Bridge was completed in 1950. The 2900 ft span replaced the low-level Westham Bridge
Westham Bridge
Westham Bridge crossed the James River between Henrico County and Chesterfield County. The bridge was located between Bosher Dam and Williams Island Dam just west of the 7 miles of rapids and falls which constitute the fall line of the James River at Richmond, Virginia.Built as a toll bridge in...
which had been built as a toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
in 1911, and had been subject to flooding and was inadequate for traffic in the growing suburban area.
The Huguenot Memorial Bridge was named in honor of the French Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
settlers who came to the area in the 18th century to escape religious persecution in France. It is owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation
Virginia Department of Transportation
The Virginia Department of Transportation is the agency of state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. Headquartered in Downtown Richmond, VDOT is responsible for building, maintaining, and operating the roads, bridges and tunnels in the...
(VDOT) and is the western-most bridge over the James River in the metropolitan Richmond area that is open to pedestrians.
The current bridge is facing significant structural issues. After years of problems maintaining the deck and pavement, as of 2008, a replacement was included in the limited number of high priority projects underway with the Virginia Department of Transportation
Virginia Department of Transportation
The Virginia Department of Transportation is the agency of state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. Headquartered in Downtown Richmond, VDOT is responsible for building, maintaining, and operating the roads, bridges and tunnels in the...
(VDOT). Construction began in 2010.