CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The Old Ivy Road bridge over the 29 bypass remains closed, and VDOT is only saying “until further notice”.

“Our crews are assessing the bridge, and the Old Ivy Bridge is closed, and we don’t have a timeline specifically right now when that will be reopened,” said VDOT Culpeper District’s Alexis Mehretab.

She said “specifically”, but also said she didn’t want to say if there was a ballpark estimate of days or weeks that the bridge would be closed.

“Unfortunately, I don’t want to say for sure just yet until our crews can assess it and I can give a more concrete timeline.”

The bridge was already closed to westbound traffic, and open eastbound only. VDOT has been rehabilitating the bridge since February with a completion date of summer of next year, and Mehretab said the accident will have no impact on that.

This accident did illustrate the necessity of one of the objects of the bridge rehabilitation as part of the project involves raising the overpass height a small bit. Mehretab said a commercial vehicle hit the bridge Monday around noon, causing a complete ongoing closure of the Old Ivy overpass as well as the Route 29 bypass underneath for close to seven hours.

Crews are rehabilitating the bridge built in 1961 that had been found structurally sufficient recently. Mehretab said they’re replacing the beams, piers, and bridge deck along with the slight raising. Construction workers were on the project Monday, and Mehretab said everyone is safe.

The bridge had been open to eastbound traffic only with westbound having to detour onto northbound 29 and u-turn using the Barracks Road ramps to southbound 29, then using the Old Ivy/Ivy Road ramps to access points west of the bypass, including St. Anne’s Belfield.

Detour signs are directing eastbound traffic temporarily while the closure is on.

Click here for the VDOT project page.