Gwynn’s Island residents braved Monday night’s chilly rain to attend a pair of presentations by representatives from the Virginia Department of Transportation on the upcoming Gwynn’s Island bridge project.

VDOT Construction Project Manager Bill Collins outlined the basics of the project, after which Fredericksburg District Structure and Bridge Engineer Annette Adams gave brief remarks.

The project will begin on Aug. 19 and is expected to continue through March 15, 2023. During that period, the bridge will remain closed for navigation, said Collins. He said the Milford Haven channel will be open, and boats that aren’t taller than the bridge’s 11-foot clearance will still be able to pass underneath, since the channel is 80 feet wide at that point. A work barge will be set up on the Coast Guard side of the bridge.

Traffic on the bridge will experience periodic single-lane closures from May to August 2022, with one-way alternating traffic, said Collins. In August, a temporary tra...