It was when parts started falling off of the Belmont bridge that it became clear that it needed to be replaced. NBC 29 reports that the fifty-year-old structure is collapsing, and the city will need to spend $9M to replace the structure. It’s going to be a headache to do, since it’ll be seriously disruptive to the flow of downtown traffic to close either the bridge or Water Street underneath it. It’ll be in next year’s budget, and the process may take a few years.
I’ve never been a fan of the thing in the first place — it divides Belmont from downtown in a way that never should have been done in the first place. Too late now.
How high is that thing? Fifty feet? Picture the tracks lowered 25 feet and the city raised 25 feet. Like downtown Chicago.
I thought the railroad tracks did that. Belmont Bridge was the great uniter.
Of course now with all those luxury condos going up in the area I imagine there will be efforts to correct as many “perceived” eyesores as possible- never mind that they were part of the character of the area which made it “Belmont.”
“Divides Belmont from Downtown in the first place”????
I think you’re overlooking the railroad tracks…which were there before Belmont was there.
Perhaps they can do a nicer job replacing it this time.
You know I’ve only been in town for thirty years, but it seems as if some extensive work was done on the Belmont Bridge during that time.
HOWEVER the JPA Bridge in front of Durty Nelly’s /JPA Fast Mart that poor thing hasn’t been touched since I arrived in 1975. I remember it was on a capital plan once, but the $$$ was moved to fund another Meadowbrook Parkway study in the late nineties.
Will it take the thousands of cars from Biscuit Run, or another couple of UVA students falling off of, to get the bridge repaired/updated? The flimsy attachments to it are an embarrassment to the UVA fans that drive down JPA in search of parking. I realize the Belmont Bridge is the back drop to the Capshaw theatre, but it’s much nicer and safer than the JPA railroad bridge!
The JPA bridge is over a cut and is only two lanes wide with a minimal sidewalk.
The bottom line is the JPA Bridge is “south of town, over the railroad tracks” and not downtown over parking! Hence the constant pushing to the bottom of the list and “reapropriating funds (moving to a Meadowbrook Parkway study)” from the Capital Improvements fund!
If concrete falls it’s only on a train. If UVA students fall to their death, it’s only one day’s news. It’s history, not politics!!!
didn’t they rebuild the belmont bridge just a few years ago, when they first built the pavilion? isn’t that why it has that weird corner on the northwest part of the bridge? certainly it hasn’t looked like that for 50 years… i’m confused.
let’s hope whatever they build next is more pedestrian-friendly.
The current, fairly new Belmont Bridge is much more “pedestrain-friendly” than the current antique JPA Bridge. Why doesn’t anyone seem to care about the JPA bridge? Students, UVA fans, parents pushing strollers, and Fry’s Spring swimmers often dare to chance a crossing to Wayside Fried Chicken, Anna’s Pizza, JPA FastMart, Ernie’s Garage, or Scott Stadium. The city seems to accept the fact that we’ve taken that risk for the past 50 years, so why not another 50 years! Isn’t it time some $$$ is spent in the southwest part of town?