Bridge Rebirth Takes More Than 9 Months

Beaverdam Crossing Being Rebuilt to Spec

By M.J. McAteer

Thursday, June 28, 2007

One wag dubbed Hibbs Bridge the "baby bridge," because of the nine months that Loudoun County said it would be closed for much-delayed repairs. The nickname wasn't entirely affectionate.

Photo: Tracy A. Woodward

It is being reassembled, "hand worked just like 180 years ago," said Ron Mallory, the county manager for the project.

True, the distinctive double-arched bridge over Beaverdam Creek on the Snickersville Turnpike is a well-loved landmark and, because it dates to the early 19th century, a historic one, too.

Its preservation has been a cause celebre in the county for more than a dozen years, and the decision to renovate rather than replace it was a hard-fought victory for those who seek to protect the rural landscape from development.

Nonetheless, its extended closure, which began May 24, has made even some bridge boosters a little grumpy about the inconvenience.

Turnpike travelers heading west toward Bluemont or east toward Aldie now must follow a nine-mile bypass along Mountville, Foxcroft and St. Louis roads. This rural detour is undeniably scenic but adds 12 to 15 minutes to a turnpike trip. And the county recently revised its repair timetable on the span to allow for two more weeks of work. The nickname for Hibbs Bridge has been revised accordingly: "overdue baby bridge."

"In general, I love the bridge," said Madeline Skinner, owner of the Philomont General Store. "It's all about a way of life." But the long closure of the span has Skinner plenty worried about her business. The detour bypasses the village of Philomont, which sits about midway along the turnpike, which means that day workers and tourists who normally stop for refreshments at Skinner's store won't be passing by.

The closure also means "the possibility of delayed response" on some of the 400 to 450 calls received annually by Philomont Volunteer Fire Company 8, according to Glenn Swain, one of four professional firefighters the county has assigned to the Philomont company. To mitigate that problem, fire companies in Aldie and Middleburg will both respond on calls to sites affected by the bridge closure.

Fire Chief Bill Schwartz adds that his department "has done its homework" so disruptions should be minimal.

Weather permitting, his firetrucks will cut off some detour miles by following gravel roads in the area. These winding, narrow roads are not for the faint of heart, however. In particular, Jeb Stuart, which runs between Philomont and St. Louis Road, features quite a shock for the uninitiated -- the "low-water bridge." Despite the name, this is not a bridge but a fording of Beaverdam Creek -- a risky proposition when the area has had some rain.

"I should just close the store for nine months and get a tow truck and sit by the creek," Skinner says.

So why is it going to take such a long time to fix such a short bridge? After all, the stone structure is only 125 feet long and 27 feet wide.

The answer: History cannot be rebuilt in a day.

Ron Mallory, the county's manager for the project, calls the 180-year run that Hibbs Bridge has had "extraordinary." Most bridges do well to last 50 years, the civil engineer said. But he compares the bridge to an old telephone that must be cranked.

"Clicking a few buttons on a computer and sending an e-mail is faster and easier," Mallory said, but citizens were adamant about keeping the bridge's historic integrity intact. Therefore, there will be no equivalent of hitting "send" on the renovation project. The structure is going to be taken apart and put back together again -- "hand worked just like 180 years ago," Mallory said.

The mortar in the bridge's double arches, abutments, parapets and piers has deteriorated. In some places, it will be chiseled out -- mainly by hand -- and new mortar will be applied. Sagres Construction of Alexandria was the low bidder on the project, which is budgeted at $1.5 million, but subcontractor Espina Stone of Fairfax is handling much of the stonework. It is attempting to duplicate the recessed style and dark color of the original adhesive.

Stones that cannot be salvaged will be replaced, some with stones from tumbled-down walls at Whitestone farm, near the Aldie end of the turnpike. Henry Plaster, head of the Snickersville Turnpike Association, says the local fieldstone is a good match with the bridge's original material.

The renovation also includes dismantling and rebuilding the bridge approaches and replacing the patched asphalt deck with reinforced concrete, which will be more durable and add structural soundness to the span.

For some of the work, Beaverdam Creek will be diverted. "We're not talking about the Potomac," Mallory said, but moving water still takes time.

Large stones will be buried in the stream bed around the piers and abutments to protect the bridge from being washed out.

In 1994, the Virginia Department of Transportation wanted to demolish Hibbs Bridge and replace it with a 425-foot-long bridge that could handle heavier loads. Hibbs Bridge has only a six-ton capacity, which VDOT pronounced inadequate to modern transportation needs. But the agency's plans for a larger, more practical span entailed shifting, widening and raising the turnpike and adding gravel shoulders.

The local response was swift: the formation of the Snickersville Turnpike Association to save Hibbs Bridge. Plaster's association surveyed 230 property owners along the turnpike; 99 percent opposed VDOT's proposal. The group then took its case to the county supervisors, all of whom opposed the behemoth replacement bridge. VDOT backed down.

That wasn't the end of it by a long shot, though. The tussle over Hibbs Bridge would continue throughout the '90s, featuring public hearings, competing experts, Civil War reenactors, contrary plans, petitions, rallies and ratcheted-up rhetoric. At one point, VDOT proposed putting stones from Hibbs Bridge on a smaller concrete replacement to "preserve the historic value." The turnpike association's Web site called that "totalitarian doublespeak at its finest."

Plaster said that in recent years, the county, the state and the association have come to have a much better working relationship. But issues of financing and property rights dragged on in the 21st century and further delayed action on the deteriorating bridge. Finally, the county announced this spring that Hibbs Bridge would close for repairs at the end of April. Repairs then were delayed three weeks.

Schwartz, the Philomont fire chief, noted that the reborn Hibbs Bridge still will have only a six-ton capacity. School buses, which in recent years have avoided the bridge, will continue to do so, said Mike Lunsford, who heads the county's transportation department.

Firetrucks also exceed Hibbs Bridge's listed capacity, but the Philomont company used the old bridge anyway and will use the new one, too. The shortness of the span means the whole weight of the firetruck is never on the bridge at one time, Schwartz explained, joking that "you go real fast across it."

Plaster expects that some sort of event will mark the bridge reopening, but the repair timetable would put any celebration smack in the middle of February.

Many locals don't expect that to be a problem.

"It took 10 years to plan it," Schwartz said. "I'd bet you a lunch that it won't be done in nine months."

Make that nine and a half months.

Tagged: Beaverdam Creek

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