Two crashes force partial close of Rt. 17 span

Re-opening date for northbound U.S. 17 bridge over the Dragon Run is unknown

by Tom Chillemi –

The James V. Morgan Bridge that carries U.S. Route 17 northbound traffic over the Dragon Run near Saluda will be closed for an undetermined amount of time due to two crashes that occurred on the bridge early Sunday morning, said Kelly Hannon, Communications Manager with the Fredericksburg District office of the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

Both sides of the bridge’s concrete side barriers were damaged significantly, leaving two gaping holes over the Dragon Run.

According to the VSP, the first crash occurred about 12:22 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21, when a 2012 Dodge Ram pickup truck ran off the right side of northbound Route 17 and struck a guardrail just before the bridge. The driver overcorrected, lost control and hit the left side of the bridge’s concrete post and rail barrier, causing significant damage to it, said Sgt. Anaya.

The truck, which was black, was disabled in the roadway with no lights due to its battery being damaged.

About seven minutes later, at 12:29 a.m., a northbound Hyundai Elantra, swerved to avoid the dark truck that was in the roadway and struck the guardrail, then the bridge’s concrete post and rail barrier, before striking the rear bumper of the Dodge Ram, said Sgt. Anaya.  No one was injured, she said.

Repair

VDOT closed the northbound bridge following the crashes and set up a work zone, said VDOT’s Hannon. Route 17 near the Dragon Run is reduced to one northbound lane and one southbound lane, with all traffic using the new Dragon Run bridge that was completed last year.

On Monday morning VDOT bridge inspectors and engineers were on scene to assess the damage and used a small boat to check the underside of the bridge.

A repair schedule is under development now, said Hannon. VDOT will share an estimated timeline for reopening the northbound bridge over the Dragon Run as soon as it is available.