2022 Culpeper District Transportation Update

DISTRICT OVERVIEW
Bridge Condition
Culpeper District
has more than
1,700 bridges and
structures, and the
maintenance, repair
and replacement
of these structures
is the responsibility
of the district’s
Structure and
Bridge section.
In addition to
maintenance crews
the section staff
includes engineers,
designers and
inspectors. Each of
the district’s three
100
80
60
40
20
0
97%
Bridges not
structurally deficient
94% TARGET
residencies has a dedicated bridge crew, while a fourth bridge crew is
based at the district headquarters office in Culpeper.
In 2022, nine structures in the district were rehabilitated or replaced.
Again this year the district’s overall rating for structures not in poor
condition was 97 percent, well above VDOT’s target of 94 percent.
Structures in poor condition have a minimum general condition rating of
4 or less (on a scale of 0 to 10), which does not suggest a safety concern,
but poor structures typically require repair and eventual rehabilitation to
address deficiencies.
The district’s four bridge crews are responsible for delivering the district’s
small bridge replacement program. Culpeper is one of a handful of VDOT
districts with this program, which uses the state force bridge crews to
replace small bridges on secondary roads that are in deficient condition.
Using state forces allows the projects to be designed and construction
completed more quickly and at lower cost than if the project were bid to
an outside construction contractor.
The program has been successful in maintaining the district’s bridge
condition at a level well above the agency’s target. But over the years, as
the district’s overall bridge condition rating improved, it has become more
difficult to maintain that rating. As the remaining deficient structures
age the rehabilitation is more complex, more extensive and thus more
expensive. That means the projects take longer to complete and require
more specialized resources to construct.
Even with those challenges, however, Culpeper’s small bridge replacement
program and its four district bridge crews remain critical to the district’s
continued ability to keep its structures in good condition and above the
agency’s condition target. Find more Virginia bridge information on
VDOT’s webpage: Bridges in Virginia.
STRUCTURES
REHABILITATED IN 2022
ALBEMARLE COUNTY
• Route 240 over Lickinghole Creek
• Route 810 over Muddy Run
• Route 810 over Rocky Bar Branch
FAUQUIER COUNTY
• Route 735 over Buck Run
FLUVANNA COUNTY
• Route 639 over South Fork
Cunningham Creek
GREENE COUNTY
• Route 634 over Swift Run
LOUISA COUNTY
• Route 640 over Foster Creek
MADISON COUNTY
• Route 607 over Beautiful Run
ORANGE COUNTY
• Route 614 over Keyser Run
STRUCTURE WORK
STARTING SOON
• Route 689 over Stockton Creek,
Albemarle County
• Route 627 over Branch Hardware
River, Albemarle County
• Route 717 over Camp Creek,
Louisa County
• Route 631 over East Fork Kent
Branch, Fluvanna County
10 VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION \\ CULPEPER DISTRICT