Route 778 Bridge Over Middle River in Augusta County Closing Permanently February 28

STAUNTON – The Route 778 (Knightly Mill Road) bridge over the Middle River in Augusta County will permanently close Wednesday, February 28. The bridge, located between New Hope and Weyers Cave, dates back to 1915 and has reached the end of its service life. The Virginia Department of Transportation has carefully evaluated the structure and determined that maintenance costs are unsustainable.

A replacement bridge is tentatively scheduled for construction in 2025. Until then, Route 778 motorists will detour onto the Route 774 (Cline River Road) bridge over the Middle River. The detour route is as follows:

• Route 778 drivers on the north side of the closure (Weyers Cave area) will go north on Route 778, turn right on Route 775 (Craig Shop Road), right on Route 774 (Cline River Road / Piedmont Road) and then right on Route 608 (Battlefield Road) to return to Route 778 and the end of the detour.
• Route 778 drivers on the south side of the closure (New Hope area) will go south on Route 778, turn left on Route 608 (Battlefield Road), left on Route 774 (Piedmont Road / Cline River Road) and then left on Route 775 (Craig Shop Road) to return to Route 778 and the end of the detour.

The VDOT Staunton District serves Frederick, Shenandoah, Clarke, Warren, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, Highland, Rockbridge, Alleghany and Bath counties.

Obtain traffic alerts and traveler information by dialing 511 or visiting 511Virginia.org. For other assistance, call the VDOT Customer Service Center, available 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week. Citizens can dial 1-800-FOR- ROAD (1-800-367-7623) from anywhere in the state to report road hazards, ask transportation questions, or get information related to Virginia’s roads.

The VDOT Staunton District is on Facebook and Twitter. Follow VDOT statewide accounts on Facebook, Flickr, Twitter and YouTube. The VDOT Web page is at https://vdot.virginia.gov/.

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