James River Bridge, near Hampton Roads in Virginia. When completed in 1928, it was the longest bridge in the world over water.

The James River Bridge is a highway bridge which crosses the James River between Newport News and Isle of Wight County, Virginia near the mouth of the river at Hampton Roads. When completed in 1928, it was the longest bridge in the world over water, 4.5 miles. James River Bridge File links The following pages link to this file: James River Bridge Categories: Images in the public domain in the United States ... James River Bridge File links The following pages link to this file: James River Bridge Categories: Images in the public domain in the United States ... Hampton Roads, Virginia 1858 Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water and the land areas which surround it in southeastern Virginia in the United States. ... State nickname: Old Dominion Other U.S. States Capital Richmond Largest city Virginia Beach Governor Mark R. Warner Official languages English Area 110,862 km² (35th)  - Land 102,642 km²  - Water 8,220 km² (7. ... This article is about the edifice. ... The James River in the state of Virginia is 547 km (340 miles) long and drains a watershed encompassing 26 000 km² (10 000 square miles), home to 2. ... Newport News is an independent city located in Virginia. ... Isle of Wight County is a county located in the South Hampton Roads region of state of Virginia in the United States. ... Hampton Roads, Virginia 1858 Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water and the land areas which surround it in southeastern Virginia in the United States. ...

The drawbridge carries U.S. Highway 17 and U.S. Highway 258 and connects the Peninsula and South Hampton Roads regions of Tidewater Virginia. It was rebuilt beginning in 1975. A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle, but the term is also used to describe modern bascule bridges and lift bridges. ... United States Highway 17 is a north-south United States highway. ... U.S. Highway 258 is a spur of U.S. Highway 58. ... The Virginia Peninsula is a peninsula in southeast Virginia, bounded by the York River, James River, Hampton Roads, and Chesapeake Bay. ... South Hampton Roads is a region located in the extreme southeastern portion of Virginia in the United States. ...

History: longest bridge in the world over water

The original James River Bridge, completed in 1928, was the first fixed crossing across Hampton Roads, a crossing long-served by ferry systems. The new bridge was narrow, with a 20-foot roadway from curb to curb, and railings much less substantial than found on modern structures. Originally constructed with private funds as a toll bridge, the $5.2 million span was opened on November 17, 1928, by the press of a button in Washington DC, where U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, sitting in the Oval Office of the White House, sent an electric signal to lower into place the upraised lift span over the James River channel. 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Pride of Burgundy, a P&O Ferries car ferry on the Dover-Calais route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on short-distance, regularly-scheduled services. ... Paying toll on passing a bridge. ... November 17 is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece. ... 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... ... John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. ... The southern side of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States. ...

When it was completed, it was the longest bridge in the world over water, linking Warwick County with Isle of Wight County. For the first time a person could drive from Smithfield to Newport News without loading his car onto a ferry. However, traffic projections for the bridge grossly overestimated its early use. The company owning it went bankrupt, and bondholders headed by a Smithfield man took over. Local residents griped for decades about tolls on the bridge and, finally, in 1949, the state bought it for $5.6 million. Management was assumed by the Virginia Department of Highways. However, in 1955, the state doubled the round-trip fee for a car, to $1.80. The toll for a truck was $4 round trip, more for trucks with four or more axles. Warwick County was originally one of the eight shires created in colonial Virginia in 1634. ... Isle of Wight County is a county located in the South Hampton Roads region of state of Virginia in the United States. ... Smithfield is a town located in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States. ... Newport News is an independent city located in Virginia. ... 1949 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The increased toll rates incensed the public and business users alike. In a well-publicized example of shunpiking (which is taking a longer route to avoid payment of tolls), Joseph W. Luter Jr., head of Smithfield Packing Company in Smithfield, Virginia, the producer of world-famous Smithfield hams, ordered his truck drivers to take a different route and cross a smaller and cheaper bridge. Tolls continued for 20 more years, and were finally removed from the old bridge in 1975 as construction of a replacement structure was begun. The term shunpiking comes from the word shun, meaning to avoid, and pike, a term referring to turnpikes, which were roads which required payment of a fee (or toll) to travel on them. ... Smithfield Packing Company was founded in 1936 by Joseph W. Luter and his son Joseph W. Luter, Jr. ... Smithfield is a town located in Isle of Wight County, in the South Hampton Roads region of Virginia in the United States. ... Smithfield ham is a particular style of cured ham, associated with Smithfield, Virginia. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

Replacement bridge without tolls: 1975-1982

A new four-lane drawbridge was completed in stages from 1975 to 1982 at a cost of $75 million. The replacement was funded with road user taxes and without toll revenue bonds. It is now a toll-free facility. The former toll plaza on the Isle of Wight County side of the James River Bridge was torn down in 2004, despite the efforts of preservationists who argued it may have had architectural significance. When the new bridge was completed, a short section of the old bridge on the Newport News side was retained for use as a fishing pier. 1982 is a number and represents a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar Events January January 6 - William Bonin is convicted of being the freeway killer. January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 - Mark Thatcher, son of the British Prime... A toll revenue bond is a financial promissory note usually issued to generate funds for the construction and/or operation of a public accommodation such as an expressway, bridge, or tunnel. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The 415-foot long vertical lift span on the replacement bridge has 60 feet of vertical clearance when closed. This allows ocean-going ships to pass en route to civilian port facilities in Hopewell and at the Port of Richmond. It is currently operated and maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). Waterfront at City Point, Virginia (now Hopewell) in 1865 Hopewell is an independent city in the state of Virginia. ... Richmond is the capital of the state of Virginia (officially the Commonwealth of Virginia) of the United States of America. ...

External Links

• Roads to the Future website (http://www.roadstothefuture.com/US17_JRB.html)
• Virginia DOT, Hampton Roads Bridges and Tunnels (http://www.virginiadot.org/comtravel/hro-tunnel-default.asp)
• news story about preservationist efforts at James River Bridge to save old toll plaza complex (http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=71958&ran=179592)