My fingers tapped impatiently on my steering wheel as I waited for the Gwynn’s Island Bridge to close. It was the second time that hot summer day I had been caught by an opening. As I glanced up at the tiny tender’s shack perched atop the structure, I couldn’t help but wonder what the bridge tenders did up there all day when not opening and closing the bridge.
In talking to others, it’s a common thought shared by many who wait at similar barriers across southeastern Virginia. Hidden from view at the water’s edge, at that moment the bridge tender has complete control of both vehicular and maritime traffic. Does he feel that sense of responsibility and is he aware of the impatient drivers waiting down below? I decided to find out.
Jim Landerkin, veteran bridge tender at both the Gwynn’s Island and Eltham bridges, is well aware of the motorists backed up down below. Many are lifelong neighbors. Others are seasonal or visiting for the first time. A few provide unexpected drama.
“We’ve had automobile drivers run through the gates,” Jim laughs, “which is kind of surprising because there is a red light and bell on the mainland and island sides, plus a physical barrier that comes down. Quite often a pleasure boater will misjudge the eleven foot nine inch clearance at median high tide, snapping off an antenna mast or fishing poles, or they may hit the fender system.” The tenders have seen it all.
Manned twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week by employees of U.S. Facilities, the 204 foot swing span opens more than 3,000 times a year to allow the Coast Guard, watermen, and pleasure boats to traverse the swift currents of Milford Haven Inlet that flow under the Gwynn’s Island Bridge in Mathews County. The tenders monitor channel 13 on the marine band VHF radio so that boaters can alert the tenders when they require an opening. The Coast Guard can come through at any time of the day or night, and work boats often head out well before dawn. In summer, pleasure boat traffic accounts for the vast majority of the daily openings.
The Virginia Department of Transportation maintains bridges and structures on state-maintained roadways, except in cities that maintain bridges and structures in their road network. Two counties in Virginia, Arlington and Henrico, also maintain their own road networks.
Bridge tending requires skills and training best left to a specialized workforce. In a competitive bid process, U.S. Facilities Inc. currently has an operations contract for Gwynn’s Island and Eltham bridges, as well as the Benjamin Harrison Bridge in the Richmond District.
There are eight moveable bridges in Virginia: Gwynn’s Island; Eltham Bridge in West Point; Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge in Hopewell; James River Bridge in Newport News; Coleman Bridge in Gloucester; Berkley and High Rise bridges in Norfolk; and Chincoteague Island Bridge. Six of the eight bridges are manned full time, and both the Gwynn’s Island and Eltham bridges fall under the purvey of VDOT’s Fredericksburg District.
U.S. Facilities Inc. bridge tenders L to R: Jim Landerkin, Ed Crocker, and Brent Nelson. Photo courtesy of U.S. Facilities Inc.
U.S. Facilities employs four full-time bridge tenders to man the Gwynn’s Island Bridge: Landerkin, a thirteen year employee retired from Newsday; Ed Crocker, a twenty-one year employee who once manned the Eltham Bridge full time; James Mitchem a thirteen year veteran and retired firefighter from Newport News Shipbuilding; and Brent Nelson, who has been employed by U.S. Facilities for two years.
There are also four part-time on-call tenders if needs arise. Three of the eight tenders are currently certified to open the Eltham Bridge.
At first glance, the life of a bridge tender may appear dull and lonely, and there are certainly long hours spent gazing out at the horizon between openings. Rotating shifts enable the four tenders to experience both daytime and nighttime traffic, weekdays and weekends. But the four are quick to say that they stay busy with a variety of tasks and training. They also have some of the best views in southeastern Virginia.
“We have log books that record the daily activities, reports to file if there is an incident, open and close the bridge on demand, housekeeping, and routine light maintenance on the bridge house itself,” says Landerkin, pointing out his daily duties. James Shaw, U.S. Facilities Safety Officer, adds, “Monthly we do a short tool box talk. They go through regular safety training, first aid including being CPR certified, and flagger training. During bad weather, we may implement an emergency action plan.”
To qualify as tender, one must pass a Virginia State Police security background check, spend ten days performing ten openings, and then undergo a verbal exam. Knowledge of hand tools and the ability to climb ladders is a must. Most jobs are filled by word-of-mouth and retirees and veterans are always desirable.
Despite having to wait for the bridges to open and close, it was not always so easy or convenient for travelers to access the other side. Let’s look back at the way it used to be.
Gwynn's Island tender house. Photo by Harold Weissler.
Gwynn’s Island Bridge
For most Mathews County residents there’s always been a bridge across Milford Haven, but that has not always been the case. The first bridge to link the island to the mainland was completed in 1939. Prior to the mid-1880s, residents relied on canoes and skiffs to get across. Many had horse-drawn vehicles stabled at various points on the mainland to which they rowed to and from, towing their horses behind.
In an interview with a local newspaper some years ago, the late Thomas E. Edwards recalled how he used to feel sorry for their horse because winter days were certainly cold, but claimed the horse didn’t seem to mind. “When first he was learning to swim the channel, he tried to keep his head out like a man. But after he got used to it, he got smart and would just lazy along, expecting us to pull him. Many is the time he would just lie on his side in the water with his head a little ways out, and we would have to pull him the whole way,” Edwards recalled.
In 1883, the residents of Gwynn’s Island and folks on the mainland decided that a ferry was in order. A benefit dinner kicked off a fundraising effort and by 1885 a hand-powered cable ferry, large enough the carry two buggies and a small cart, had been installed. Hired ferrymen or residents operated the vessel as needed.
With the advent of gasoline engines, the hand-powered ferry was upgraded with the addition of a boat with a 5hp motor that was lashed alongside. This conveyance was eventually retired when a larger ferry made the crossing from Callis’ Wharf to Cricket Hill. Later, a state-owned and operated ferry took over until a bridge over Milford Haven Inlet was built in 1939.
At 729 feet long with a 204 foot moveable swing span, this bridge carries an average of 2,400 vehicles a day and opens to marine traffic more than any other moveable bridge in Virginia. Opening and closing takes six to ten minutes, depending on the size and speed of the vessel passing through its eighty foot opening.
Eltham Bridge tender house. Photo courtesy of VDOT.
Eltham Bridge
For those who relied on the Eltham Bridge prior to 2007, frustration and impatience was par for the course. Vehicular traffic over the Pamunkey River, linking New Kent County and the town of West Point, often experienced long delays during openings. Countless barge traffic, destined for the paper mill upriver, required the bridge to open several times a day. Once a barge was sighted at the point where the York and Pamunkey rivers converge, the bridge would open regardless of the vessel’s speed. It often took a quarter hour or more for the barge to reach the bridge and one could snatch a nap while waiting. With an average of 19,000 vehicles daily, any opening created miles-long backups.
The first two-lane wooden Bruce Bridge was built in 1926, replacing ferry service across the river. Residents remember the nail-biting trip across as laden log trucks thundered by in the opposite and extremely narrow lane. The old span was replaced in 1957 but, over the years, time and exposure to the elements led to frequent maintenance issues.
Its low deck clearance required openings for even the smallest vessels heading upriver. At 2,337 feet long and with a vertical clearance of just eleven feet, its swing span was no longer adequate. A higher, wider, moveable bascule bridge would limit the number of openings and traffic disruptions, and rail service to the paper mill would no longer block the highway at the foot of the bridge.
Eltham Bridge opening for tug and barge with crane. Photo courtesy of VDOT.
The current Eltham Bridge was built in 2007. At 5,357 feet long and a fifty-five foot vertical clearance, the bridge rarely has to open. The U.S. Coast Guard allows VDOT to request four hours advance notice from mariners prior to opening the span. This allows VDOT to notify motorists of potential delays. Even though it opens infrequently for marine traffic, it is opened twice, once a month (first on shore power and then on generator) for general maintenance, cleaning, and bridge tender training.
The tender house is no longer staffed full-time, but U.S. Facilities provides on-call personnel as needs arise. Opening and closing the bascule bridge (think teeter totter) takes 15-20 minutes, based on the size and speed of the vessel passing through.
In addition to bridge maintenance, log trucks crossing the bridge drop enormous amounts of debris on the bridge daily. Who’s responsible for cleaning up the mess? “VDOT cleans it up once a month and before every opening,” says Alvin Balderson, VDOT Bridge Maintenance Program Manager. “We pick up the large debris by hand and rent a sweeper truck to clean up the smaller stuff. It’s a public roadway so it’s our nickel”, and ultimately the Virginia taxpayers’.
The off-seasons bring the tenders some down time to occasionally read or reflect. Nature provides an ever-changing landscape. A bridge tender often catches tiny snapshots into people’s personal lives as they drive over or pass through their bridge. It’s a unique perspective and one of the fringe benefits of the job.
Special thanks to Kelly Hannon, VDOT Communications Manager, for providing technical information and liaison between VDOT, U.S. Facilities, and myself that made this story possible. Thanks to the Mathews County Public Library.