A proposal from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) would replace and significantly widen the I-66 bridge at Broad Run, leading to potentially disastrous implications for historic Chapman-Beverley Mill, as well as the Broad Run-Little Georgetown Rural Historic District and the surrounding area. 

We are urging community members and those who share our concerns about this issue to attend VDOT’s upcoming public hearing on Thursday, May 29, 2025 and voice your opinion and commitment to protect these precious historical landmarks and conservation lands from the unnecessary and costly development of VDOT’s proposal. Scroll down for hearing info and location.

Background

In summer 2023, VDOT approached PEC about its proposed replacement of the bridge “superstructure” for the portion of Interstate 66 that crosses over Broad Run, directly in front of the Chapman-Beverley Mill. (A superstructure is the elevated portion of the bridge where cars drive. Here is another example of a superstructure project in Virginia, and here is more general information about superstructures).

However, in January 2025, VDOT sent us this letter, notifying us that it had decided to pursue a full bridge replacement for reasons it points to as being the expected lifespan of the substructure, the cost of a new bridge relative to the superstructure placement and the fatigue stress caused by the existing design. 

VDOT’s new proposal would significantly widen the shoulders on both sides of the bridge by 30 feet, supposedly intended as pull-off areas for trucks and breakdowns. 

PEC and other consulting parties, including the Bull Run Mountains Conservancy, Prince William County, Fauquier County, and the Buckland Preservation Society, have all raised concerns that this new proposal extends too close to the historical Chapman-Beverley Mill and the surrounding Broad Run/Little Georgetown Rural Historic District. Collectively, we are requesting more information about why such a wide shoulder is necessary. 

The Fauquier Board of Supervisors shares our concerns and recently passed a resolution asking VDOT to hold a public hearing on this important project.

That public hearing will take place on Thursday, May 29, at the Marshall Community Center, 4133-A Rectortown Road in Marshall from 5-7 p.m.

With multiple groups raising concerns and the potential loss of irreplaceable historical landmarks, it’s clear that additional discussions are needed to ensure that this thoroughfare is protected from further harm, both now and in the future.

PEC position: Just the existing bridge structure should be repaired, as originally planned, and the bridge should not be fully replaced and certainly not widened.

Hearing Details

What: VDOT Public Hearing regarding proposed bridge replacement/expansion at Broad Run / Chapman-Beverley Mill
When: Thursday, May 29, 5 – 7 p.m.
Where: Marshall Community Center, 4133-A Rectortown Road, Marshall, VA 20115

Talking Points

We urge those who share our concerns to attend the upcoming public hearing on May 29 and/or express your opposition to VDOT’s new proposal to replace and significantly widen the bridge, which would have potentially disastrous implications for the Chapman-Beverley Mill.

Below are key points you should know about the proposed bridge expansion. In addition, we have provided a link below to download more talking points for use when providing input, which include additional details on VDOT’s proposal and our concerns about the potential impacts to the Chapman-Beverley Mill, Broad Run-Little Georgetown Rural Historic District and the surrounding area.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Because the VDOT bridge project is federally-funded and has a potential impact on historic properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it invokes Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Section 106 requires VDOT to identify and assess effects on historic properties, consider alternatives to avoid or mitigate any adverse effects, and designate affected stakeholders as consulting parties to provide public input and recommendations on the project.
• Under the original 2023 proposal, all work would have occurred within the existing footprint, and VDOT stated there would not be a significant increase in the bridge’s width. The new plan, which calls for full replacement of the bridge and its support structure, is costly and unnecessary, and would have much more drastic implications. Specifically:
  
  • Such a replacement will require new pilings and new foundations to be installed, which may require blasting or other excavation impacts. Foundation work near the fragile Chapman-Beverley Mill structure would create vibrations that could put the Mill at risk of significant, irreversible damage. 
  • Widening I-66 by 60 feet directly in front of the mill will put the mill at risk.
  • In addition, new shoulders and approaches would be required, all of which will increase the proposed impacts of the new bridge.
    
• VDOT hasn’t addressed the impact on the mill of the construction process and the finished product, as well as vibrations from traffic that will be closer to the Mill once the wider bridge is complete.
• VDOT has made a Determination of “No Adverse Effect” and sought agreement from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR). This determination of no adverse effect is the result of the Section 106 hearing.
  
  • PEC asked DHR not to concur with VDOT’s determination and to request that the bridge replacement proposal’s impacts be reevaluated and that lower impact, more cost effective alternatives be pursued. In response, DHR sent this letter to VDOT outlining its concerns about the potential negative impacts of the bridge replacement and related work on the Chapman-Beverley Mill.
    
  • Although VDOT sent this letter in response to DHR’s letter and questions, its response does not sufficiently address concerns about the long-term impacts of the wider bridge on the mill or ongoing long-term maintenance requirements and costs as well as other matters.
    
• Furthermore, shoulders on bridges are not preferred locations for vehicles to pull off. The bridge replacement and expansion opens the door to a wider I-66 and for the shoulders to eventually become travel lanes in the future, which would put traffic even closer to the historic Chapman-Beverley Mill.

View/download additional talking points on the Broad Run/Chapman-Beverley Mill bridge expansion by clicking below.