BURSTCHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — The Great Bridge Bridge in Chesapeake, Va., was closed to traffic for an extended period Tuesday during rush hour because of a heat-related malfunction, according to the city. Firefighters were called in to spray the drawbridge with water to cool it down.
The bridge was unable to close as Tuesday's temperatures reached the mid-to-upper 90s, with heat indices between 105 and 112 degrees.
Battlefield Boulevard South was closed in both directions at the bridge because of the malfunction. Images from live traffic cameras showed police directing traffic at the intersection with Kempsville Road.
Drivers including Tony Baker were left stuck.
"Made it almost to the bridge, saw the cops and everybody turned around everybody waving everybody around, and we had to go back up towards Battlefield [Boulevard] just to get around to cross the bridge," Baker said.
The city and a viewer of Nexstar's WAVY provided several images Tuesday afternoon showing crews spraying the bridge with water. Another WAVY viewer, David McBirney, sent in video below:
The exact cause for the malfunction was unclear. Chesapeake Fire Captain and PIO Steven Bradley said that information will come from the city's Public Works Department.
The bridge reopened just before 7 p.m. Tuesday, but with more hot temperatures on the horizon, some wonder if this could happen again here, or on any other bridge in the region. It's a sight many have never seen before.
"I've been with the city for 26 years and I definitely can't recall it," Bradley said.