Boulevard Bridge
Boulevard Bridge | |
---|---|
deck truss bridge | |
Total length | 2,030 feet |
History | |
Opened | 1925 |
Statistics | |
Toll | $0.50 Smart Tag/E-ZPass |
Location | |
Boulevard Bridge in the
History
The Boulevard Bridge was completed in 1925. It was privately owned and financed by the Boulevard Bridge Corporation for the purpose of providing access to the new Westover Hills neighborhood in South Richmond,
During the years of ownership by the Boulevard Bridge Corporation, Westover Hills residents were given free access across the bridge
Initially, the early toll-barrier was located in the middle of the span (actually above the north shore of the river between the canal and the north end),[3] because all the property on either side except the right-of-way for the roadway itself was owned by others, and the toll barrier at that location could be erected at no additional land acquisition expense. It was certainly not possible to circumvent paying the toll at that location. The toll booths were relocated to a plaza north of the bridge in the mid-1960s.
On November 24, 1969, the RMA, which was building Richmond's new expressway system at the time, purchased the Boulevard Bridge for $1.2 million. The toll on the bridge was kept at 10 cents until 1988, when it was doubled to 20 cents.[2]
In August 1992, the RMA closed the bridge for 18 months to complete extensive renovation work, which included widening the existing lanes, installing new toll booths and equipment on the north end of the bridge,[2] and improving safe access for bicycles and pedestrians. The bridge reopened in October 1993.[3]
The toll was increased in 1998 to 25 cents.[2]
In 2008, the RMA increased the tolls on all of its roads, bringing the Boulevard Bridge to the rate of 35 cents.
Tolls
The current toll rate is 50 cents.[4]
References
- ^ Wesley P. Hester (January 2, 2010). "Boulevard Bridge marks its 85th birthday". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d RMA. "Boulevard Bridge". Archived from the original on 16 April 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d Harry Kollatz. "Spanning History: The telling tolls of the Nickel Bridge". Richmond Magazine. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ Peter Samuel. "Richmond VA tolls up to 70c from 50c". Tollroadnews. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
External links
Media related to Boulevard Bridge (Richmond, Virginia) at Wikimedia Commons