SUFFOLK, Va. — After more than a year of construction and detours, the Nansemond Parkway Bridge replacement project is on track to reopen before students return to class, according to the City of Suffolk.
The project has closed a section of Nansemond Parkway since the summer of 2025, forcing drivers to take lengthy detours around the work zone. The closure has been especially challenging for parents traveling to Mack Benn Elementary School, where the usual route has been unavailable throughout construction.
Currently, traffic on Nansemond Parkway can travel only as far as Golden Maple Drive before motorists must follow a detour. There's also another detour that takes folks on Wilroy Rd. and Portsmouth Blvd.
According to Suffolk Operations Manager Antonio Jordan, the project involves replacing a bridge that no longer met modern transportation standards.
"We're replacing a structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridge to bring it up to VDOT current standards," Jordan said. "That's what we've been working on for the last 13 months."
Jordan said the original bridge was more than 100 years old and carried historical significance for the area.
"Back in the late 1900s, early 20th century, the bridge served as an integral part of a dam that was connected to the bridge to provide water or power to a mill that was placed over there," Jordan said. "That's how it got its name of Beamon's Mill Pond."
With construction entering its final stages, Jordan said crews are working to finish the project before the start of the new school year.
"We know that school comes back into session August 24th, and I don't anticipate any other detours or any closings at this time," Jordan said. "We're really charging forward and pushing hard to get this thing completed by August 21st."
If construction stays on schedule, the reopening will eliminate the detours that have affected residents and families traveling through the area for more than a year.
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