PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- Sailors, civilians and contractors began using a newly refurbished pedestrian bridge Oct. 28 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, which connects the south end of the shipyard to a parking lot used by thousands every day.
According to Lt. Ben Hunter, who served as the construction manager, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Mid-Atlantic oversaw this $1 million project that was performed by Air Services Inc.
"With the addition of three thousand personnel coming into the shipyard soon, access to this bridge was critical and this project was needed as soon as possible," he added.
Greg Wood, the design manager for the project, explained that NAVFAC Mid-Atlantic personnel examined multiple designs for the project before settling on the one that would work best.
"The proper design was very important," he said. "This project was built over an active railroad and under high voltage power lines, making it a challenge to complete during the three month construction window."
Wood added that the bridge was built in 1982 and had fallen into disrepair. The project completely refurbished the bridge; replacing steel, resurfacing the bridge deck, replacing stair treads, replacing fencing and repairing lights.