Story courtesy of the [1] Chincoteague Beacon:

CHINCOTEAGUE — Construction will begin next month on the $68 million Chincoteague Causeway bridge to replace the worn spans near the island and will continue until the end of the decade, officials said Thursday as they detailed the huge building and engineering effort.

Virginia Department of Transportation officials and an engineering firm met with local business owners during the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce’s annual membership meeting to discuss what island residents and visitors will experience between the project’s March 2 start date and its Nov. 9, 2009, completion.

The Richmond office of American Bridge Company in November was awarded the contract by VDOT for the construction of new approaches and bridges over the Black Narrows, Chincoteague and Lewis Creek navigational channels.

“American Bridge knows what they’re doing on water in marine work,” said Bruce Garber, who works for Jacobs Civil Engineering and is the VDOT consultant for the project.

“I’m very pleased to say the initial indications from American Bridge have been very positive and I’m very encouraged by them.”

The new bridge is eagerly anticipated by the town’s residents and the hundreds of thousands of visitors attracted by the town, the famous July Pony Penning events and the popular Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague Island National Seashore.

Beginning next month, Garber said island residents will see American Bridge’s presence on Chincoteague, with the arrival of barges — one carrying a gigantic crane — floating materials over to begin building temporary bridges, or trestles.

Work will immediately begin at Abutments A and B, which are located by the existing Black Narrows bridge’s south side and at the Maddox Boulevard site, respectively.

There, several pilings will be driven into the ground to build a trestle. A crane will then be loaded onto the trussel and begin the process of driving pylons for the bridge locations. During this process, Garber said that several test pilings will also be driven to test the bridge’s technical design and measurements.

Work on the Abutment A location, which begins at Black Narrows and ends at the tip of Marsh Island, will not be as easy because of nesting bird restrictions that begin in April and end in late August.

“So they intend to do as much work over there in March as weather will allow in that restricted area,” he said. “Afterwards, the focus will be shifted to a much greater degree at the Maddox Boulevard location.”

After the restricted period has ended, they will have more “production” pilings ordered and will begin driving them throughout the fall and winter months of next year.

Work next month will also begin by a subcontractor provided by Delmarva Power in the movement of power lines to Chincoteague. Garber said some power line poles just beyond the Black Narrows bridge will be moved to the south end of the bridge, crossing back to the power distribution station on the island.

Garber said that a field office has been provided by American Bridge on Church Street, just behind the old elementary school.

Though public relations will go through the VDOT office, he said that if anyone has any immediate concerns about the bridge, he or one of his associates will be available inside one of the office trailers there.