Above, looking south, photo of construction of the 3,642-foot-long VA-288 James River Bridge, and major earthwork cut on the north side of the river. North of the river is Goochland County, and south of the river is Powhatan County. The James River is about 200 feet wide at this point. The length of these bridges is dictated by the large flood plain of the James River, since a large flood such as the ones with Hurricane Camille in 1969 and Hurricane Agnes in 1972, can cause the river to rise 20 to 25 feet.

Above, looking south, photo of construction of the VA-288 James River Bridge, and major earthwork cut on the north side of the river. On the overland portions of the bridges, nearly all of the bridge columns and pier caps on top of the columns, have been constructed. Pier construction in the river is underway. Beams and deck construction is underway on both bridges. The bridge will be of a concrete girder design, with two spans each with two lanes and full right shoulders. This photo is from the same vantage point as the previous photo, but taken with a 135mm (2.7x) telephoto lens, as compared to a 50mm (1.0x) regular lens on the previous photo.

The contractor's website (http://www.route288.com) this month reports "James River Bridge (Northbound and Southbound) - Good progress made with substructure and super-structure work. Completion planned for mid-summer 2002 - 9 months ahead of schedule". So the contractor is really moving on these bridges.

Above, looking north, heavy excavation for the construction of the VA-288 roadways. Large backhoes and large dump trucks are being used to excavate this cut. The vantage point for this photo, is standing in about the same place as with the two previous photos, but I turned completely around to face in the opposite direction. There will be a major earthwork cut in this area, for the highway mainline roadways that descend downgrade to the James River Bridge. VA-650 River Road will cross VA-288 on a bridge, and the bridge is being built where the crane in the distance can be seen; and River Road is temporarily closed at that point so that the overpass bridge can be constructed in the same location as the existing road. This is in Goochland County.

Above, looking north, heavy excavation for the construction of the VA-288 roadways. The vantage point for this photo is similar to the previous photo, but turned a bit to the right. The excavation operation with the large backhoes and large dump trucks, is visible.

Above, looking south, photo of construction of the VA-288 James River Bridge, and major earthwork cut on the north side of the river. Similar vantage point as the first photo on this page, but taken a couple weeks later.

Above, looking south, photo of construction of the VA-288 James River Bridge, and major earthwork cut on the north side of the river. Similar vantage point as the second photo on this page, but taken a couple weeks later. This photo is from the same vantage point as the previous photo, but taken with a 135mm (2.7x) telephoto lens, as compared to a 50mm (1.0x) regular lens on the previous photo.

Lead page for Richmond Beltway (I-295 and VA-288)

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By Scott M. Kozel, Roads to the Future