PORTSMOUTH, Va. - The Elm Avenue entrance to the South Norfolk Jordan Bridge in Portsmouth remains closed to thru traffic as a precaution following a fire at a nearby plant Friday.
UPDATE: Damaged parts of Portsmouth trash plant to be taken down
A spokesperson for Wheelabrator, a waste-to-energy plant, said operators detected smoke coming from a fire inside the conveyor belt enclosure. The damage to the structure caused the road at Elm Ave and Victory Boulevard to close for safety.
Cars pass underneath the structure to get on and off the Jordan Bridge. It made for a dangerous situation, which is why the plant and city closed the road as crews work to determine the structural condition of the plant's conveyor.
“That’s kind of scary,” said one driver. “That’s kind of scary.”
People who work at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard and businesses at Burton Point in Portsmouth can access the parking lot next to the bridge entrance, but it is closed to thru traffic.
One man who works at the shipyard said he wasn’t aware the bridge entrance was closed. Several drivers had to turn around when they saw the road closure sign.
“We literally had to go all the way around, go through the tunnel,” he said. “It just adds a good, maybe 10 minutes. 10 minutes that I probably don’t have, or my fiancé don’t have because my lunch break is 30 minutes. It’s 15 (minutes) to get here and 15 (minutes) back, so adding another 10, it’s going to make one of us late.”
The bridge is only accessible via Chesapeake/I-464 at this time, but you will not be able to enter Portsmouth.
Erik Brown works at Burton Point. He said those who work in the business parking lot have to park at the nearby parking lot and walk. Brown said it took him an extra 45 minutes just to get to work Monday morning.
“It’s time wasted,” Brown said. “Getting to work late. Going on lunch break, you got to walk down here. We only get 30 minutes on lunch break. You got to walk all the way here and then walk all the way back.”
Mary Urban, the spokesperson for Wheelabrator (WIN Waste Innovations), said it’s difficult to say when the bridge entrance will reopen, but the plant and the city will make that call.
In a statement, Urban said, “For the time being, we are continuing to provide steam to the Navy but are diverting waste from the plant. We are in contact with SPSA and our commercial haulers as we work to assess the repairs needed and resume normal operations. We will prioritize our largest partner, SPSA, and hope to begin taking waste again as soon as possible. We have evaluated the structures alongside a third-party engineering expert and are mobilizing a team and making a plan to remove the damaged sections of the overhead conveyor enclosure which was the only area impacted. In an abundance of caution, the road remains closed and we will work diligently to repair any damage and ensure safe passage to reopen the road as determined by the local agencies.”
Urban said the cause of the fire is unknown and they have a team investigating. There were no injuries to any firefighters or employees in the plant.
Kevin Crum, General Manager of the Jordan Bridge stated that the partial bridge closing "continues to cause significant transportation impacts to NNSY, Jordan Bridge and surrounding residents and businesses."
His full statement reads as follows:
"Friday’s unfortunate Wheelabrator (WIN Waste Innovations) conveyor incident continues to cause significant transportation impacts to NNSY, Jordan Bridge and surrounding residents and businesses. We are anxiously awaiting the determination of the structural condition of the conveyor, which is being conducted by Wheelabrator (WIN Waste Innovations) and the City of Portsmouth, as the location of the conveyor is above Portsmouth city streets (Elm Ave.).
The Jordan Bridge did not experience any damage from the fire, however the Elm Ave closure impacts thru traffic access to Victory Blvd/Gate 36/Effingham/Downtown Portsmouth due to the location of the “over road” Wheelabrator (WIN Waste Innovations) conveyor location on Elm Ave.
The Jordan Bridge plans to remain open on a limited basis for NNSY parking (lots 41, 42, 43) and local businesses immediately adjacent to the Jordan Bridge. The bridge is currently only accessible via Chesapeake/I-464."
