Heat causes bridge to be stuck open

MVFD PHOTO
A truck from the Mathews Volunteer Fire Department pumps water onto the overheated Gwynn’s Island Bridge on Friday, cooling the metal until the span could be forced into a closed position.
News and Information for Gloucester and Mathews, Virginia
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 Vol. LXXXVIII, no. 42 NEW SERIES
Home » Heat causes bridge to be stuck open
Heat in the 90s on Friday afternoon caused the Route 223 bridge over Milford Haven to Gwynn’s Island to be stuck open for a while.
It was open before 5:30 p.m., and remained closed to marine traffic until after 7 p.m.
The Virginia Department of Transportation said the bridge became stuck in the open position due to expanding steel in high temperatures.
VDOT and Mathews fire crews pumped water on the bridge’s steel grid deck to cool its temperature allowing the bridge to be forced closed. According to a VDOT release, pumping equipment is staged at the bridge for a rapid response. This problem has happened repeatedly in summer months in recent years....
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