The Interstate 264 Berkley Bridge is a double-leaf

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

that crosses the

Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River The Eastern Branch Elizabeth River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 tidal river in the Hampton Roads area of the U.S. state of Virginia. The river fl ...

in Norfolk, Virginia,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It carries Interstate 264 (I-264), U.S. Route 460 Alternate (US 460 Alt.), and State Route 337 (SR 337) across the river, connecting the Berkley neighborhood south of the river with

downtown Norfolk Downtown Norfolk serves as the traditional center of commerce, government, and culture in the Hampton Roads region. Norfolk, Virginia's downtown waterfront shipping and port activities historically played host to numerous and often noxious port and ...

to the north. The

toll Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway ** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use ** Road toll (historic), the historic practice of charging for road use ** Shadow toll, ...

-free facility is one of only a small number of movable bridges on the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

, and is the first of two in the Hampton Roads region, predating the

High Rise Bridge 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, t ...

. It is named for the former Town of Berkley that is now a part of the City of Norfolk.

History

There have been several incarnations of a Berkley Bridge. An earlier Berkley Bridge was built before 1922, east of the present one, along Main Street. A replacement for that span, in the present location, was completed in 1952 as part of the original Norfolk–Portsmouth Bridge-Tunnel project between the city of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

and Norfolk. The project was funded with

toll revenue bond A toll revenue bond is a financial promissory note usually issued to generate funds for the construction and/or operation of a public accommodation such as an Controlled-access highway, expressway, bridge, or tunnel. Funds for the repayment are obt ...

s. When the bonds were fully repaid, the tolls were removed. In 1991, during an expansion of

I-264 Interstate 264 is the designation for two Interstate Highways in the United States, both of which are related to Interstate 64: *Interstate 264 (Kentucky), a bypass of Louisville, Kentucky *Interstate 264 (Virginia) Interstate 264 (I-264) i ...

, the

Downtown Tunnel The Downtown Tunnel on Interstate 264 (I-264) and U.S. Route 460 Alternate (US 460 Alt.) crosses the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River in the South Hampton Roads area of Virginia, US. It links the independent City of Ports ...

was expanded to four lanes and a parallel Berkley Bridge was built, bringing the total Berkley Bridge capacity to eight lanes. This construction included a new interchange for

Interstate 464 Interstate 464 (I-464) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Virginia. The highway runs from U.S. Route 17 (US 17) and State Route 168 (SR 168) in Chesapeake north to I-264 in Norfolk. I-464 connects two majo ...

which connects the Berkley area with

Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchang ...

in the independent city of Chesapeake.

Description

I-264 Eastbound

After exiting the

, and while crossing the bridge, all traffic for I-264 East has to immediately merge right with the two lanes of bridge on-ramp traffic from I-464 traffic in order to continue on I-264 E, while SR 337 Alternate(Waterside Drive) and St. Paul Boulevard traffic has to merge left for the left exit. Traffic for westbound US 460 Alt./SR 337 (Tidewater Drive) will use the left of the I-264 lanes to exit left immediately after the aforementioned split.

I-264 Westbound

On the Berkley side, I-264 and US 460 Alternate turn west through the

(under the

Southern Branch Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

of the river), while

begins, heading south, and SR 337 uses I-464 to reach surface streets.

Pedestrian Traffic

There is a pedestrian walkway on the eastern side of the bridge. It is suitable for walking or bicycling and offers a view of

Downtown Norfolk Downtown Norfolk serves as the traditional center of commerce, government, and culture in the Hampton Roads region. Norfolk, Virginia's downtown waterfront shipping and port activities historically played host to numerous and often noxious port and ...

and the Elizabeth River. It is separated from the roadway and is fenced in. In 2014, news outlets in Hampton Roads showed

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

video from bicyclist Kelley Howell showing where she was struck by a bridge tender's personally owned vehicle that, according to VDOT was traveling legally on the walkway en route to shift change. The cyclist was not seriously injured, however after the investigation, VDOT no longer allows the bridge tenders to drive on the walkway for their shift change, and in addition, will require the use of spotters when VDOT vehicles are required to drive on the walkway.

References

External links

# {{Water Crossings in the Hampton Roads Region Bridges completed in 1952 Road bridges in Virginia Movable bridges on the Interstate Highway System Bascule bridges in the United States Transportation in Norfolk, Virginia Former toll bridges in Virginia Interstate 64 U.S. Route 60 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Steel bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Norfolk, Virginia