Two Low Bridges, Winter

Low water bridges are intriguing because they work well much of the time but they become impassable when the river is high. They seem out of place in our high-tech world. A few have been replaced in recent years, and others have been raised higher. Replacing a bridge is expensive though, and in some places, it has been blocked by property owners who don’t want to give up a piece of their land for access. There can also be environmental concerns, the possibility of destroying something historical, and neighbors' worries about increased traffic.

Today we look at two bridges in Shenandoah County that are still low enough to flood fairly often. The first is at Chapman Landing in Edinburg. It serves farms and homes on the east side of North Fork. While some maps show another road that might provide access, it appeared to me that it was a private lane.

Looking Downstream

Yesterday I crossed the Lupton Road bridge to Seven Bends State Park. It does not serve a residential area, so when it floods the main effect is that access to the park is closed to vehicles. There is a pedestrian bridge nearby, which is a swinging bridge that is built to be above the high water mark.

North Fork of the Shenandoah - for Sunday Best