The Interstate 264 Berkley Bridge is a double-leaf

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

that crosses the Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It carries Interstate 264 (I-264), U.S. Route 460 Alternate (US 460 Alt.), and State Route 337 (SR 337) across the river, connecting the Berkley neighborhood south of the river with

downtown Norfolk Downtown Norfolk serves as the traditional center of commerce, government, and culture in the Hampton Roads region. Norfolk, Virginia's downtown waterfront shipping and port activities historically played host to numerous and often noxious port an ...

to the north. The

toll Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway ** Toll road, a type of road which for which payment is required for passage ** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use ** Road to ...

-free facility is one of only a small number of movable bridges on the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...

, and is the first of two in the Hampton Roads region, predating the

High Rise Bridge The High Rise Bridge, also known as the ''G.A. Treakle Memorial Bridge'', is a four-lane, Bascule bridge, bascule drawbridge that Interstate 64 in Virginia, Interstate 64 (I-64) uses to cross the Southern Branch Elizabeth River, Southern ...

. It is named for the former Town of Berkley that is now a part of the City of Norfolk.

History

There have been several incarnations of a Berkley Bridge. An earlier Berkley Bridge was built before 1922, east of the present one, along Main Street. A replacement for that span, in the present location, was completed in 1952 as part of the original Norfolk–Portsmouth Bridge-Tunnel project between the city of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

and Norfolk. The project was funded with

toll revenue bond A toll revenue bond is a financial promissory note usually issued to generate funds for the construction and/or operation of a public accommodation such as an expressway, bridge, or tunnel. Funds for the repayment are obtained through revenue rais ...

s. When the bonds were fully repaid, the tolls were removed. In 1991, during an expansion of

I-264 Interstate 264 is the designation for two Interstate Highways in the United States, both of which are related to Interstate 64: *Interstate 264 (Kentucky), a bypass of Louisville, Kentucky *Interstate 264 (Virginia) Interstate 264 (I-264) ...

, the

Downtown Tunnel The Downtown Tunnel on Interstate 264 (Virginia), Interstate 264 (I-264) and U.S. Route 460 Alternate (Chesapeake–Norfolk, Virginia), U.S. Route 460 Alternate (US 460 Alt.) crosses the Southern Branch Elizabeth River, Southern B ...

was expanded to four lanes and a parallel Berkley Bridge was built, bringing the total Berkley Bridge capacity to eight lanes. This construction included a new interchange for

Interstate 464 Interstate 464 (I-464) is an Interstate Highway in the US state of Virginia. The highway runs from U.S. Route 17 (US 17) and State Route 168 (SR 168) in Chesapeake north to I-264 in Norfolk. I-464 connects two major ...

which connects the Berkley area with

Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70, I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61, US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern ter ...

in the independent city of Chesapeake.

Description

I-264 Eastbound

After exiting the

, and while crossing the bridge, all traffic for I-264 East has to immediately merge right with the two lanes of bridge on-ramp traffic from I-464 traffic in order to continue on I-264 E, while SR 337 Alternate(Waterside Drive) and St. Paul Boulevard traffic has to merge left for the left exit. Traffic for westbound US 460 Alt./SR 337 (Tidewater Drive) will use the left of the I-264 lanes to exit left immediately after the aforementioned split.

I-264 Westbound

On the Berkley side, I-264 and US 460 Alternate turn west through the

(under the

Southern Branch Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

of the river), while

begins, heading south, and SR 337 uses I-464 to reach surface streets.

Pedestrian Traffic

There is a pedestrian walkway on the eastern side of the bridge. It is suitable for walking or bicycling and offers a view of

Downtown Norfolk Downtown Norfolk serves as the traditional center of commerce, government, and culture in the Hampton Roads region. Norfolk, Virginia's downtown waterfront shipping and port activities historically played host to numerous and often noxious port an ...

and the Elizabeth River. It is separated from the roadway and is fenced in. In 2014, news outlets in Hampton Roads showed

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

video from bicyclist Kelley Howell showing where she was struck by a bridge tender's personally owned vehicle that, according to VDOT was traveling legally on the walkway en route to shift change. The cyclist was not seriously injured, however after the investigation, VDOT no longer allows the bridge tenders to drive on the walkway for their shift change, and in addition, will require the use of spotters when VDOT vehicles are required to drive on the walkway.

References

External links

# {{Water Crossings in the Hampton Roads Region Bridges completed in 1952 Road bridges in Virginia Movable bridges on the Interstate Highway System Bascule bridges in the United States Transportation in Norfolk, Virginia Former toll bridges in Virginia Interstate 64 U.S. Route 60 Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway System Steel bridges in the United States Buildings and structures in Norfolk, Virginia