Gloucester County has received a $250,000 matching grant from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation to replace the Swan Bridge, a footbridge that crosses the northernmost finger of Beaverdam Lake, the county’s reservoir in Beaverdam Park.
The 312-foot-long bridge is part of the park’s 9.5-mile multi-use trail that runs around the perimeter of the lake between the park’s two entrances—one at the end of Roaring Springs Road and one off Fary’s Mill Road between Ark and Pinero. The trail is open to hikers, bikers, cyclists, and horses, but not to motorized vehicles.
Most of the bridges at the park are more than 30 years old and need replacement, said Gloucester Parks, Recreation and Tourism Director Matt Barber in an email. Since the Swan Bridge is beyond repair and can’t hold the weight of a horse, it was condemned over two years ago to anything above a person’s body weight.
More than 150,000 people visit Beaverdam Park annually, said Barber, and not having use of the bri...