HARTFORD VILLAGE — Without any way to prevent it, workers watched from both sides of the White River on Monday morning as waters roared over a low-lying temporary bridge that was meant to be used for constructing a new permanent structure.
Piers were scheduled to be poured this week for the $24 million, 559-foot span that would connect Route 14 and Mill Road by bringing VA Cutoff Road high above the river, according to Notts Excavating operator Tom Smith, who stood in the rain with other workers who were watching from the village side.
But no longer.
“That was the plan, but Mother Nature changed it,” Smith said.
The water was 18 to 20 inches below the deck in the morning, he said, and came up quickly in the 9 o’clock hour, washing over the bridge before 10 a.m.
The project, which includes realigning the bridge, started in April, Smith said. A detour instituted on Route 14 last week had been scheduled for 60 days, according to the Valley News, which reported that the bridge is slated for completion in fall 2025.
Smith said it was yet to be seen how far Monday’s rain would set the project back.
“It’s gonna set them back a while,” he said.
