A Virginia Department of Transportation crew replaced the Route 610 (Old Pinetta Road) bridge at Pinetta in Gloucester County last Friday—using favorable weather to complete the job two days early.

Motorists are relieved because they won’t have to rely on a detour around that area as they did from Monday through Friday of last week. Kelly Hannon, a spokesperson for VDOT, said the construction originally was anticipated to be completed in the late afternoon of Dec. 22.

The superstructure replacement included new steel beams, a new deck and new guardrails. Hannon said the existing abutments remain in place.

Tiny Bundy, another VDT spokesperson, said that the bridge was replaced because it was substandard. A seven-ton weight limit had been in effect there since 2011, which she said has now been lifted.

Bundy said the new bridge is 30 feet long and 20 feet wide—the same as the old. VDOT traffic counts show that bridge carries ...