George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge
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The George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge (known locally as simply the Coleman Bridge) is a swing bridge that spans the York River between Gloucester County and York County at Yorktown, Virginia. It connects the Peninsula and Middle Peninsula regions of Tidewater Virginia.
The 3,750-foot-long double-swing-span drawbridge carries U.S. Highway 17, a 4-lane arterial highway. The movable span is needed to allow ship access to several military installations that are upstream of the bridge. The roadways are almost 90 feet above the river at the highest point of the bridge.
The toll bridge was named for George P. Coleman, who from 1913 to 1922, was the head of the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation, predecessor to the [Virginia Department of Transportation] (VDOT). The bridge has been one of the sites of a special program to establish and encourage nesting locations for the peregrine falcon population of Virginia.
The George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge is a toll-facility. Tolls are only collected northbound, and are used to pay for the expansion of the bridge to four lanes. Toll Collection Rates are as follows:
- Commuters (Smart Tag required) 85¢
- Motorcycles 85¢
- Two-axle vehicles $2
- Three-axle vehicles $3
- Four- or more-axle vehicles $4
External links
- [PBS.org description of the bridge]
- [Structurae bridge profile]
- [VDOT website for Peregrine Falcon news]
- [Roads to the Future: George P. Coleman Bridge]
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