Hole in Candlers Mountain Road bridge causes traffic trouble

A hole in a heavily traveled Lynchburg bridge is causing a major headache for motorists near Liberty University and the River Ridge mall, state transportation officials said Thursday.

A slab of concrete, about two feet in diameter, fell from the deck of the Candlers Mountain Road bridge over the railroad tracks near the mall, said VDOT spokesperson Paula Jones.

Jones said crews discovered the hole early Thursday and quickly shut down the outside westbound lane of the bridge.

“It will have to remain closed until they make those repairs,” she said, noting she did not know the extent of the damage, or what repairs would be required.

“Certainly we don’t want to put traffic on that side of the bridge,” she said.

A more thorough investigation of the bridge, Jones said, is scheduled for today.

“We want to be able to take a look and determine just exactly what the nature is of the work that needs to be undertaken,” Jones said.

The bridge, maintained by VDOT, regularly undergoes inspection, Jones said, due to its age and the volume of traffic.

She said on average, about 41,000 vehicles pass over the bridge each day.

Fortunately, she said, the school year hasn’t yet started at Liberty University, substantially lowering the amount of traffic on the bridge.

“And the fact that it’s not Christmas,” she added.

Though part of the bridge is still open, Jones said, she encouraged motorists in the area to bypass the bridge, taking alternate routes either through the city via Fort Avenue or utilizing the Lynchburg Expressway and Wards Road.

Already, construction on the Expressway has cut traffic down to one lane near the Wards Road and Candlers Mountain Road exits, and Jones said the new problem only worsens congestion in the area.

“I’m sure that it’s going to create some major delays for the short term, but we hope to be able to get things done and get them done quickly and get them reopened,” she said.

Jones said she hopes some substantial work can be done before Liberty students report for classes on Aug. 24.

“Hopefully we’ll have some things under way, and maybe even have it reopened if we’re able to at that point,” she said.

“It’s, of course, frustrating for us as well as it is for everybody else.”