There was good news from VDOT for Gwynn’s Island residents this week.
The bridge over Milford Haven, which had been slated to remain closed to boat traffic through December while a $10.7 million rehabilitation project is completed, will instead begin opening six times a day beginning in mid-April.
Not only that, but with the bridge slated to open regularly, the two Coast Guard vessels that had been moved from Station Milford Haven will be returning.
Daily bridge openings will occur at 2 a.m., 5 a.m., 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., a press release from the Virginia Department of Transportation announced on Monday. Each of those openings will cause vehicular traffic to be stopped for around 30 minutes, said the release. If there’s no marine traffic at the scheduled time, no opening will occur. VDOT will announce a specific date for the openings in mid-April.
Capt. Jennifer Stockwell, commander of USCG Sector Virginia, expressed enthusiasm at the prospect of returning the 45-foot Response Boat Medium and the 49-foor Buoy Utility Stern-Loading Boat to Station Milford Haven.
“We’re very much excited, and we’re coming home,” she said.
Stockwell said she had been worried that delays in finishing the work on the bridge would push its opening farther into the summer season, but said, “we’re delighted it’s happening sooner.”
The assets won’t return to Milford Haven immediately, though, said Stockwell. The response boat, which is used for search and rescue, is in the middle of a planned maintenance period, while the buoy utility boat, which is an Aids to Navigation vessel, is conducting some work in the Tangier Island area and will return when that work is done.
Others are delighted with the change in plans, as well. Waterman Todd Smith, who docks his boat at Callis Wharf on Gwynn’s Island, was glad to hear the news.
“That’s a huge help to us,” he said. “It’ll save a lot of fuel and time.”
While the bridge has been closed, Smith and another 8 to 10 watermen who dock their boats at Milford Haven and its tributaries have had to access the bay through the Hole in the Wall channel. That’s not a bad thing for someone headed down the bay, said Smith, but for someone going up the bay, it adds two hours to the workday and a lot of fuel to the cost.
“We felt like we didn’t have an option,” said Smith. “This will be a huge help.”
Mac Casale, owner of the Hole in the Wall Waterfront Grill, said it was a good thing for his business, as well.
“It’s a major improvement from what I was told a few weeks ago,” he said.
With nearly a third of his business coming from boat traffic and a revenue-producing season of only around four or five months, Casale said the long-term closure initially discussed would have had a major impact on his business. He said that, while everyone is happy the bridge is getting fixed, he had been dismayed to find out boats wouldn’t be able to go under it throughout the summer.
“This is at least a good compromise,” he said.