Gloucester residents received a late Christmas present last week when the Virginia Department of Transportation obtained a land disturbance permit from the state that will allow the Fox Mill Run bridge project to move ahead at full speed again. The project, begun last fall, is still projected to be completed by November 2012, VDOT spokesman Kelly Hannon said.

The $4 million project had been slowed for several weeks since mid-December when a VDOT official realized that the agency had not received a land disturbing permit from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation. Such a permit is required when more than 2,500 square feet of land is disturbed, which will be the case with the Fox Mill project, said VDOT spokesman Kelly Hannon.

All construction work resumed late last week. Work was limited to non-land-disturbing activities while VDOT secured the required environmental permit.

Also Monday, Hannon said that the temporary closure of the crossover on Main Street by the G...