George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge

The George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge (known locally as simply the Coleman Bridge) is a double swing bridge that spans the York River between Yorktown and Gloucester Point, in the U.S. state of Virginia. It connects the Peninsula and Middle Peninsula regions of Tidewater, Virginia.

Originally built in 1952, it was reconstructed and widened in 1995 through an unusual process which greatly reduced the time the important commuter artery was out-of-service from conventional methods. The current 3,750-foot (1,140 m)-long double-swing-span bridge carries U.S. Highway 17, a four-lane arterial highway. The movable span is needed to allow ship access to several military installations that are upstream of the bridge, most notably, the U.S. Navy's Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. The roadways are almost 90 feet (27 m) above the river at the highest point of the bridge. The bridge is the largest double-swing-span bridge in the United States, and second largest in the world.

The toll bridge was named for George P. Coleman, who from 1913 to 1922 was the head of the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation, predecessor to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The bridge has been one of the sites of a special program to establish and encourage nesting locations for the peregrine falcon population of Virginia.

The George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge is a toll facility. Tolls are only collected northbound, and are used to pay for the expansion of the bridge to four lanes. Toll Collection Rates are as follows:

  • Commuters (E-ZPass required) 85¢
  • Motorcycles 85¢
  • Two-axle vehicles $2
  • Three-axle vehicles $3
  • Four- or more-axle vehicles $4

Bicycles are permitted to cross and are not required to pay a toll. Bicycles must use the established bicycle lane located to the right of the far right travel lane.

Read more about George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge:  Photos

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