The bridge that has been under construction between Appalachia and Norton is officially closed for the time being, as it is no longer passable. Apparently part of it fell today.
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The bridge that has been under construction between Appalachia and Norton is officially closed for the time being, as it is no longer passable. Apparently part of it fell today.
That the one at Kent Junction?
Guess that means Appys dreams of being a major player are dead.
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Who didn't see that coming? That thing has been a death trap for a long time. It's scary as hell trying to cross that thing.
Some real heavy trucks were still crossing that thing on a regular basis too.
It is a wonder that road is even passable given the truck traffic.
Yea, the bridge will be closed for most of the day if not longer. A 4x4 piece of concrete fell through on the bridge deck . You can see only rebar and the railroad tracks below. I go across the bridge alot during the night to get to our stripjobs. They closed the bridge about 2:00 this morning. Elk Knob, the contractor doing the repairs totally screwed this one up.
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Guess that means Appys dreams of being a major player are dead.
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roflmao
They closed the bridge about 2:00 this morning. Elk Knob, the contractor doing the repairs totally screwed this one up.
[/ QUOTE ] The only "screw up" is years of ignoring WAY overloaded coal trucks. If they really paid by the tickets they claim for their loads, most wouldn't finish the week.
Exactly, that thing has been a hazard for years. It should have been fixed long ago. I'm amazed it didn't just collapse when they were trying to repair it.
they need to come down hard on the truck drivers. They say they can't make their money hauling the legal limit with truck up keep and fuel prices. With three people dead from the way they drive, and the roads in Appalachia/Old Norton road...they could make a road across the strip jobs, since everyone of them connect from Boggs Ave. to Blackwood. It may cost money, but it would save on lives and the cost of repairs.
It doesn't sound like they need to come down hard on truck drivers then, it should be coal companys.
They're the ones that drive off overloaded, and knowing they're overloaded, just to make the $. A large percentage of these guys are independent operators, responsible for their weight and getting proper weight tickets.
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they could make a road across the strip jobs, since everyone of them connect from Boggs Ave. to Blackwood. It may cost money, but it would save on lives and the cost of repairs.
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I was speaking more to the above comment.
gotcha.
Confused me because you had responded to Dawgforlife
Yeah, he's the one that said it. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
the last post he made though... lol
thats what I read... I can't help my hair color.
I almost made a blonde joke. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
I've heard them all.
Blond jokes....
Short jokes....
You've got the best of both worlds. Short and blonde. [img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
That's how I see it by golly!
http://wcyb.tv/newsread.asp?newsid=8093
Bridge Closure
Date 3 April 2007
The Business U.S. Route 23 Bridge at Kent Junction has been closed in order for transportation engineers to evaluate the condition of the bridge after a 4-foot hole formed in the bridge deck overnight. The structure, which is undergoing maintenance re-construction, had already been restricted to one-lane. Virginia Department of Transportation officials believe the additional traffic on the single lane contributed to the deck damage.
Message boards are in place alerting through traffic to detour using U.S. Route 23 between Norton and Big Stone Gap. Officials say it is too early to speculate on when the bridge might be re-opened to traffic, but are working with the construction contractor on ways to restore traffic as soon as feasible.
Elk Knob, Inc., Pennington Gap, was awarded the $2.6 million contract to reconstruct the bridge last June and work began in July. The contract includes replacement of two bridge piers and the entire deck. The bridge underwent a comprehensive inspection prior to the start of the repair work.
The bridge is located over the Norfolk & Southern Railroad and Roaring Fork Creek, near the intersection of Route 603.
Business U.S. Route 23 is a heavily traveled route, mostly utilized by coal trucks, industrial park traffic and local traffic traveling between Norton and Appalachia. The average daily traffic on this section of roadway is approximately 7,000 vehicles per day.
There use to be a road that ran under the bridge their working on. It was the connection well before the bridge was put in. Maybe they could reopen.
If you really look at the Appalachia area it has the rail line in place to be very competitive for businesses who could locate in their area.
The one idea of coal truck traffic on strip mine roads connected does make sense and it would reduce the truck traffic on state maintained roads.