Jordan Bridge was a tolled highway lift bridge which carried State Route 337 over the southern branch of the Elizabeth River from the City of Portsmouth into the City of Chesapeake in South Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Opened in 1928, it was privately built by an organization led by South Norfolk businessmen Wallace and Carl Jordan. It was later renamed the Jordan Bridge, principally to honor long-standing manager Carl M. Jordan. The oldest drawbridge in Virginia, the 80-year old bridge had reached the end of its useful life by 2008. Faced with diminishing returns on millions of dollars in needed maintenance and unknown reliability, it was permanently closed on November 8, 2008.
A replacement bridge, built with 100% private funds, and paid for by tolls, was approved by Chesapeake City Council on January 27, 2009. The new South Norfolk Jordan Bridge was originally scheduled to be completed by July 2010, but was finally completed and opened for use on October 27, 2012.
Read more about Jordan Bridge: Early History, Incidents: Collisions With Ships, Mechanical Failure, Modern Use, Permanent Closing: November 2008, Regional Transportation Funding Shortages, A New Bridge
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“Like a lot of Black women, I have always had to invent the power my freedom requires ...”
—June Jordan (b. 1936)
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