Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge

Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge
View of the central portion of the bridge, taken from the roadway below
Carries	SR 106 / SR 156
Crosses	James River
Locale	Jordan's Point
Named for	Benjamin Harrison
Owner	Virginia Department of Transportation
Maintained by	VDOT
Characteristics
Total length	1 mile
Longest span	360ft
No. of spans	5
History
Engineering design by	Hardesty & Hanover L.L.P.
Opened	1966
Replaces	Ferry service

The Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge that spans the James River between Jordan's Point in Prince George County and Charles City County near Hopewell, Virginia. The bridge carries vehicle traffic of State Route 106 and State Route 156, and is owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). It is named after Benjamin Harrison V, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a Governor of Virginia, who lived and owned slaves nearby at Berkeley Plantation.

Originally completed in 1966, it was substantially rebuilt following a February 24, 1977 collision by a ship. Repairs took 20 months to complete. The cost of repairs and operations for an innovative passenger shuttle service contracted by the state were $9.7 million. The costs were recovered from the insurer for the shipping company following a lawsuit in U.S. District Court.

Working in conjunction with the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, the Benjamin Harrison Bridge and its VDOT staff host a successful breeding program for peregrine falcons on its high towers.

The mile-long drawbridge replaced ferry service when it was completed in 1966 by Hardesty & Hanover L.L.P., a New York-based bridge engineering firm. It featured a 360-foot-long (110 m) vertical lift span to facilitate passage of shipping traffic on this portion of the James River, which is navigable from Hampton Roads upstream to the Port of Richmond, about 23 miles (37 km) west of the bridge.