The Gwynn’s Island bridge was stuck open for more than an hour on Sunday, July 21, because of excessive heat, backing up traffic and requiring that a crew from Mathews Volunteer Fire Department spray water on it in order to cool it down enough to be closed.

VDOT spokesperson Darragh Frye said the moveable swing span of the bridge became stuck open at 5 p.m. because the heat caused the steel to expand. Water from the fire trucks cooled down the steel grid deck enough to allow crews to force the bridge to close to boat traffic one hour and 21 minutes later, she said, adding that pumping equipment was staged at the bridge earlier this week for a rapid response in case the problem occurred.

The bridge experienced the same problem on several different occasions last summer, and VDOT held a public meeting in October at the Gwynn’s Island Civic League building to address the issue. At that time, VDOT’s Fredericksburg District Bridge Engineer Annette Adams told residents th...