The Lesner Bridge in
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
connects the
bay area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Gov ...
to the Virginia Beach shore via Shore Drive (
U.S. Route 60) — crossing the
Lynnhaven Inlet at the mouth the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...
. The bridge lies approximately three miles from the southern terminus of the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Chesapeake often refers to:
*Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian
* The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay
*Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula
Chesapeake may also refer to:
Populated plac ...
. The first bridge in the same location, a draw-bridge, had been constructed in 1928,
replaced in 1958 by what are now the eastbound lanes of a dual span. Westbound lanes were constructed as a parallel span in 1967.
The Lesner Bridge was named after
John A. Lesner, a Democratic Virginia State Senator who had earlier represented
Norfolk County and the
City of Norfolk, beginning in 1908.
In February 2016, a move was afoot, supported by the local newspaper, to rename the bridge in honor of US Navy Admiral
Jeremiah Denton or change it to its commonly known name of Lynnhaven Inlet Bridge. Local residents and the Lesner family oppose the change and a public poll resulted in no support for the name change.
Stephen Mansfield wrote in the book "Princess Anne County and Virginia Beach, A Pictorial History," (page 151) that the General Assembly voted to name the bridge after State Senator John A. Lesner in recognition for his service on the State Highway Commission.
Bridge replacement
In 2014 the City of Virginia Beach began a project to replace the Lesner Bridge with expanded spans that each have two travel lanes and a wide multi-use path. The new bridge will be capable of six total lanes in the future. Construction on the new westbound span started in June 2014, and was opened to traffic in November 2016.
In December 2016, eastbound traffic shifted to the new westbound bridge while the existing spans were demolished and construction began on the new eastbound bridge.
On December 12, 2018, the new Lesner Bridge was officially opened to the public.
See also
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References
Bridges completed in 1958
Bridges completed in 1967
Road bridges in Virginia
U.S. Route 60
Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System
Buildings and structures in Virginia Beach, Virginia
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