High Rise Bridge

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High Rise Bridge
Coordinates	36°45′30″N 76°17′52″W / 36.7582°N 76.2977°W / 36.7582; -76.2977
Carries	I-64
Crosses	Southern Branch Elizabeth River
Locale	Chesapeake
History
Construction start	1969
Opened	1972 (1972)
Statistics
Daily traffic	73,000[1]
Location

The High Rise Bridge is a four-lane, bascule drawbridge that Interstate 64 (I-64) uses to cross the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River. The twin spans of concrete and steel were completed in 1972, and are operated by VDOT. Currently, the High Rise Bridge is the only highway-grade toll-free crossing of the Southern Branch Elizabeth River, since the Downtown and Midtown Tunnel began tolling in 2014. Other non-interstate alternate routes include the Gilmerton Bridge on U.S. Route 13 (US 13; Military Highway), as well as the tolled Jordan Bridge in Portsmouth.

Because of the high impact a bridge opening has on traffic, the bridge only opens on a 24-hour advanced notice unless the scheduled lift time is during the bridge's restricted hours of 6–9 am and 3–6 pm, when a three-day notice is required. The current reconstruction project intends to produce a fixed bridge with 100 feet (30 m) clearance, expected to significantly reduce traffic delays associated with bridge lifts.^[2]