Automotive
Covered Bridges in Virginia
In memory or imagination, covered bridges conjure up sights and sounds of days gone by. In Virginia, they began to dot the countryside nearly two centuries ago. Spanning rivers and streams, their number grew to the hundreds.
Eventually they gave way to their vulnerability to flood and fire, and to the technology that replaced the wooden peg with the metal bolt and the broadtimbers with narrow steel. By 1900, the overhead steel truss bridge had become the engineers’ design of choice.
Relatively few covered bridges survived into the early years of the 20th century. Most of them reflected the evolution in design of three pioneers in the annals of bridge construction:
Theodore Burr, who patented the Burr arch bridge in 1817
Ithiel Town, who patented the Town lattice design in 1835
William Howe, who in 1840 patented a design that combined iron uprights with wooden supports
Today in Virginia, only seven covered bridges still stand. Four have been preserved as landmarks and three are on private property. You are invited to visit these picturesque structures that span time as well as water.
Humpback Bridge – Virginia’s Oldest Covered Bridge
The venerable Humpback Bridge lays claim to being the oldest of Virginia’s remaining covered bridges.
Located in Alleghany County, just west of Covington, it was built in 1857.
It was part of the James River and Kanawha Turnpike and succeeds three other bridges at the site.
It stretches over Dunlap Creek, a tributary of the Jackson River that joins the Cowpasture River near Iron Gate to form the James River.
The first structure was built in the 1820s and was washed away by a flood on May 12, 1837.
The second fell victim to the flood of July 13, 1842.
The third, as the annual report of the turnpike company put it, “gave way” in 1856.
The 100-foot-long, single-span structure is four feet higher at its center than it is at either end, thus the name, “Humpback”.
Traffic across the bridge ceased in 1929 when it was replaced with a “modern” steel truss bridge.
Restoration
The bridge stood derelict — and was even used by a nearby farmer to store hay — until the 1950s.
The Business and Professional Women’s Club of Covington and the Covington Chamber of Commerce raised funds to have the bridge restored and preserved as part of Alleghany County’s history.
Humpback Bridge was reopened to the public in 1954 as the centerpiece of an attractive wayside.
In the summer of 2013, the Humpback Bridge underwent additional restorations using funds from the National Historic Covered Bridge Program.
Humpback Bridge can be reached from Interstate 64 by taking exit 10 to Route 60 and traveling one-half mile east, or by taking Route 60 west from Covington.
Meem’s Bottom Bridge
Meem’s Bottom Bridge
One of the best-known covered bridges is the 204-foot single-span Burr arch truss known as Meem’s Bottom in Shenandoah County.
Here it is possible to step back into the past, while less than a half-mile away the hum of modern-day traffic can beheard on Interstate 81.
The site takes its name from the Meem family that owned large landholdings in the area. This long span over the North Fork of the river carried traffic for more than 80 years before being burned by vandals on Halloween in 1976.
After salvaging the original timbers, the bridge was reconstructed and eventually undergirded with steel beams and concrete piers.
Succeeding several earlier bridges, the Meem’s Bottom Bridge was built in 1894. Materials were cut and quarried nearby for the massive arch supports and stone abutments, which extend 10 feet below the riverbed.
Previous bridges in this spot were washed away in the floods of 1870 and 1877. The next bridge, built in 1878, stood until it was replaced by the present bridge.
The bridge is reached easily from Interstate 81 at exit 269 between New Market and Mount Jackson. Follow Route 730 from the interchange for four-tenths of a mile to Route 11. Go north on Route 11 for nine-tenths of a mile to Route 720 and the west a short distance to the river.
It also can be reached off Route 11, four miles north of New Market and about two miles south of Mount Jackson.
Bob White Bridge
Bob White Bridge
On Sept. 29, 2015, the Bob White Covered Bridge was washed away during a flood.
In an effort to raise funds to rebuild the bridge, various events and fundraisers are being steered by the Covered Bridge Committee, a 501(C)3 organization in Patrick County.
Their plan is to rebuild the bridge with timber to match the original design and create a replica and historical kiosk from remnants of the bridge that were found after the flood.
Jack’s Creek Bridge
Jack’s Creek Bridge
Jack’s Creek Bridge crosses the Smith River in Patrick County on Route 615 just west of Route 8, about two miles south of Woolwine. The 48-foot span, built in 1914, has been replaced by a modern bridge but is being retained.
Jack’s Creek Bridge can be seen from Route 8 at its intersection with Route 615, or it can be reached by turning west two-tenths of a mile on Route 615.
Sinking Creek Bridge
Sinking Creek Bridge
The Sinking Creek Bridge (also known as Clover Hollow Bridge), a 70-foot span currently maintained by Giles County, was left in place for the property owner when a new bridge was built in 1949. It was built circa 1916 with modified Howe trusses.
The bridge is located just off Route 601 between Route 42 and Route 700, north of Route 460.
Automotive
Drive safely this summer
Did you know that the highest number of fatal car accidents occur in July and August? The golden rule, as we all know, is to slow down! But going beyond the issue of speed, here are a few tips for safe summer driving.
Before leaving, answer any text or voice messages, choose the radio station or CD’s you’d like to listen to and adjust the volume and the interior temperature of the car. All of this should be done to avoid any “primary” distractions while driving.
When the sun is in your eyes be sure to slow down and keep your distance in order to have more brake time. If you’re blinded by headlights at night, look ahead and slightly to the right. Cleaning the inside of your windshield will also help — a dirty windshield increases glare.
During periods of heavy rain, put your headlights on low beam in order to be seen from the front as well from behind or park in a safe place. If an animal suddenly appears on the road in front of you, hold the steering wheel firmly, do not swerve, sound your horn and press firmly on or pump the brakes. An insect in the car? Stay calm and open the windows if you have the controls on your armrest. Stop the car as soon as possible, open the windows, if you haven’t already done so, and with the help of an object, guide the insect slowly and gently out of the vehicle.
Finally, check the air pressure in your tires on a monthly basis; under-inflated tires wear more quickly. Don’t drive all summer with your winter tires as they have less road adherence, especially in water; braking distance is a third longer and your gas consumption will be higher. Change your windshield wipers every year; dried out rubber causes streaks of water which reduce visibility.
Be careful this summer and remember: a distracted driver is a dangerous driver.
Automotive
A history of roads in Virginia: The secondary system
Highways and road signs were vastly improved by the 1930s.
It was against this background that the General Assembly in 1932 approved a means by which the counties could be relieved of road construction and maintenance responsibility. The “Byrd Road Act” inspired by the former Winchester senator who two years before had completed a term as governor, authorized the establishment of the state “secondary” road system. It permitted each county, if it wished, to give its road responsibility to the Highway Commission. One economist estimated that this action would reduce rural taxes by $2,895,102 annually.
Four counties – Arlington, Henrico, Nottoway and Warwick – chose to keep the responsibility; the other counties joined the new secondary system. In 1933, Nottoway reversed its earlier decision and joined the system. Years later, Warwick gave up its county status to become a city that eventually merged with Newport News. Arlington and Henrico counties continued to operate their own local roads.
When the secondary system was established, it totaled 35,900 miles. It included 2,000 miles hard-surfaced, 8,900 miles with soil or gravel surfaces, and more than 25,000 miles, or almost 70 percent, of largely unimproved dirt roads. Some counties had no hard-surfaced roads at all.
Within a decade, the amount of hard-surfaced roads had tripled, the mileage of soil or gravel roads had doubled, and the unimproved roads had been reduced by almost half. With the arrival of the secondary system, the main roads for which the state had been responsible became known as the “primary” highway system.
In August 1939, with motor vehicle registration approaching a half million, Commissioner Henry Shirley reported that “The demand for a road that can be used throughout the year is becoming greater and greater, and such a road has become a necessity. Practically all horse-drawn equipment has vanished from the highways, and motor equipment taken its place, requiring a road that can be traveled the year-round.”A year later, Shirley reported another development that was to become a major part of road operations in Virginia and elsewhere. “All the main highways are being marked with traffic lines, and the system adopted we hope will be the means of saving many lives. Under no condition should a vehicle cross a solid line when it is next to the vehicle, or two solid lines,” he said.
Despite the precautions, however, safety problems continued to trouble highway engineers as the number of autos grew. Brig. Gen. James A. Anderson, who had taught civil engineering and been dean of the faculty at VMI, was on furlough from the academic world and was serving as coordinator of the State Defense Council at the time of Shirley’s death in July 1941. Anderson was appointed highway commissioner, a position he held until his retirement in 1957.
“Accidents on the highways are increasing daily, and every care and precaution within the power of the commission is being taken to reduce this heavy toll of life,” Anderson said shortly after his appointment. “It is imperative that something be done to reduce the speed of automobiles on the highways, and to educate the drivers to the courtesy of the road.”
Next up: Another World War Begins
Produced by the
Virginia Department of Transportation
Office of Public Affairs
1401 E. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
VirginiaDOT.org
Automotive
Manual or automatic: which transmission is right for you?
Are you in the market for a new car and wondering whether to get one with a manual or automatic transmission? To help you make the best choice, here are some of their respective advantages.
Manual
Some car owners enjoy the full driving control offered by manual transmissions. For others, the lower price tag may be a stronger incentive to go manual.
Manual gearboxes are less expensive, put less strain on your brakes and are cheaper to repair. In addition, they tend to be more fuel-efficient. However, automatic transmission technology is catching up and some automatic models now offer comparable fuel economy.
Automatic
The main advantage of automatic cars is that they’re less stressful to drive than their manual counterparts, especially in dense traffic conditions.
Automatic transmissions prevent cars from stalling when you’re stuck inching along the highway or when you want to advance at a green light. In addition, they’re simply easier to use and switching gears is always precise and fluid.
In the end, the best choice for you depends on your preferences.
Automotive
A history of roads in Virginia: Financing the roads
Wet subgrade is removed in an Amherst County project.
After the war, the road development program regained momentum and sought to keep up with the growing popularity of the auto. More than 25,000 vehicles would be added to the state’s roads in a year’s time. Inevitably, questions persisted about how to raise additional highway revenue to meet the mounting needs.
The state Constitution of 1869 had prohibited any state debt except to meet casual deficits in the revenue, to redeem previous liabilities, or to protect the state in the event of insurrection or war. The same restriction remained in a revised Constitution of 1902, but a later amendment, pushed by the Good Roads Association and approved by 61,000 votes in a 1920 referendum, had permitted the legislature to issue bonds to build or repair roads. Statewide political debate developed about using that permissive borrowing power, however.
State Sen. Harry F. Byrd Sr. of Winchester, chairman of the Virginia Senate Roads Committee, opposed bonds and urged the levying of a tax of three cents on a gallon of gasoline to produce the revenue. Early in 1923, Gov. E. Lee Trinkle called an extra “roads” session of the General Assembly to decide a course of action. He recommended a temporary “pay-as-you-go” policy until the question of bonds could be considered again by the voters in a referendum.
The legislature approved the Byrd gasoline proposal and ordered that a suggested $50 million bond issue be submitted to referendum in November.
By a margin of some 46,000 votes, the citizens this time rejected the bond issue idea in what was considered in many ways a victory for rural voters. Only 19 counties voted for the bond issue, while it won approval in 17 of the state’s cities. The gasoline tax was destined to become the largest single source of revenue for road building and maintenance and was to be increased gradually over the years. At the national level, a gasoline tax approved by Congress was to become the principal revenue source for the federally aided road program as well.
During the debate about financing, Virginia’s highway organization continued to be refined. In 1922, the legislature directed that the state be divided geographically into eight highway districts and that available funds be distributed among them in equal shares. Other organizational changes in the commission led to the appointment of Henry G. Shirley, who had been Maryland’s highway administrator, as chairman. Coleman stayed as highway commissioner until his resignation in 1923, and later the positions of chairman and commissioner were combined.
In 1927, as part of a reorganization of state government, the Department of Highways was formally established as a state agency, although the commission staff had been called the “highway department” since the outset. As disconnected sections of improved roads were linked into continuous long- distance routes crossing many states, travelers found themselves steadily more bewildered by a confusing array of directional and informational signs. There was little continuity or standardization from state to state, and it was easy for motorists to get lost in unfamiliar territory.
At the request of the American Association of State Highway Officials, the U.S. secretary of agriculture appointed a committee in March 1925 “to undertake immediately the selection and designation of a comprehensive and uniform scheme for designating such routes in such manner as to give them a conspicuous place among the highways of the country as roads of inter-state and national significance.”
It was this move that led to the beginning of route numbers and to uniform signs for the convenience of motorists throughout the nation, and that produced greater continuity in marking Virginia’s roads. The basic plan provided generally for assigning even numbers to east-west routes and odd numbers to north-south roads.
By 1930, a total of 386,664 motor vehicles were registered in the state. The license tax produced $6,564,000 in revenue, and the gasoline tax produced $7,251,000. The state highway system had been increased to 7,191 miles.
The counties, however, still were plagued by problems of improving and maintaining the local roads for which they were responsible. Most of those roads remained in extremely poor condition. Few counties had engineers on their staffs, and not many had the necessary equipment.
And yet about two-thirds of the state’s workers earned their livelihoods from the land and faced the continuing need of hauling farm products to market. The Depression that swept the nation brought more serious problems, and most rural Virginians had little money to pay the property taxes that had continued as the main source of income for the county roads.
In Richmond and in the district highway offices that had been established around the state, adjustments were made in road operations to aid as many families as possible during the economic crisis of the Depression years.
During the fall of 1931, the commission found that under normal work schedules it could provide employment and wages for only a few additional workers. But a “stagger system,” providing jobs for one force of men one week and another force the next week and continuing the procedure through the construction season, made jobs and income available for 8,000 additional workers. The commission kept this system in effect throughout the Depression.
Next up: The Secondary System
Produced by the
Virginia Department of Transportation
Office of Public Affairs
1401 E. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
VirginiaDOT.org
Automotive
10 tips to protect your car from thieves
According to the National Insurance Bureau, a car is stolen every 6.5 minutes in the United States. While it may not be possible to completely eliminate the risk of getting your car stolen, here are some precautions you can take to hinder would-be thieves.
1. Never leave your car running and unattended, even if it’s in your driveway.
2. Don’t leave your key inside your car and never hide a spare inside or outside the car. Thieves know to look for magnetic boxes.
3. If you have an electronic key, carry it in a pouch that blocks radio frequency identification (RFID) signals. At home, don’t leave it near the front door: electronic keys can be cloned from the other side of the door.
4. Always lock your doors and close all the windows when you’re not in the car.
5. Look for well-lit and busy parking lots. If there’s an attendant, only leave them your car key, not your entire keychain.
6. Install a good antitheft system and make sure your remote starter doesn’t compromise its usefulness. Marked parts, blinking security lights and steering wheel locks are other devices that will deter thieves.
7. When you park, turn the steering wheel all the way to one side, lock the steering wheel and engage the handbrake. This will make theft by tow truck more difficult.
8. Don’t attach a label with your name and address to your keychain.
9. Before you arrive at your destination, move your valuables to the trunk. Doing so when you get there is potentially dangerous, as someone might see you.
10. Don’t leave your insurance and registration papers in the car; a thief could convince a police officer that they simply borrowed the vehicle from you.
Did you know? Some thieves can steal your car in less than 30 seconds.
Automotive
A history of roads in Virginia: State system approved; WWI interrupts progress
Route 1 near Dumfries as it appeared (from left) in 1919, the early 1930s, 1989 and 2006.
During its 1918 session in Richmond, the General Assembly approved establishment of the first state highway system, a network of 4,002 miles for which construction and maintenance would be the direct responsibility of the highway commissioner and his staff.
Among the roads to be included was the old Valley Turnpike between Winchester and Staunton, which still was being operated as a toll road in 1918. As late as 1926, it remained the only hard-surfaced road of much distance.
The so-called Richmond-Washington Highway, the often muddy predecessor of U.S. Route 1 and Interstate 95, also was included in the system. At the time, it was gravel and soil except for a short section of concrete south of Alexandria and a short macadamized segment north of Richmond. As on many roads, cars frequently had to be pulled by other vehicles or by horses through swamp-like areas in rainy weather and in winter thaws. A fully paved Route 1 was not completed until 1927.
In 1918, the legislature also continued the convict road force, but limited its use to the new state system. In 1922, a law authorized the commission to expand the system each year by an amount of mileage equal to 21 /2 percent of the original system. Subsequent additions also were made by other legislative action.
In an extra session in 1919, the General Assembly made a significant change in commission organization. It was expanded from four to five members, who were to be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. More importantly, members were to be private citizens chosen to represent major geographic regions of the state. In addition, the governor was to appoint the commissioner, who would administer day-to-day operations.
Virginia’s road development was about to be interrupted, however, by circumstances far beyond the state’s borders with the outbreak of World War I. Coleman spoke of it this way:
“The year opened up with orders from the federal government restricting the use of all cars and the practical confiscation of road materials for war purposes. The declaration of war by this country was followed immediately by a serious labor shortage and a consequent increase in the cost of labor and materials. These restrictions and increased costs were largely on such road materials as steel, cement, stone, gravel, sand, bitumens, and so forth… Approximately 80 percent of the engineers and specially trained men of the department entered the service of their country… We are making every effort to meet this condition with the funds at hand.”
The state’s population had exceeded 2.3 million and more than 145,000 motor vehicles were registered.
Next up: Financing the roads
Produced by the
Virginia Department of Transportation
Office of Public Affairs
1401 E. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
VirginiaDOT.org
