The City of Fredericksburg is committing funding and resources for a locally oriented marketing and social media campaign letting people know that downtown Fredericksburg is open for business as usual during the planned Chatham Bridge closure.
The City is preparing a campaign to provide easy access of information to those who work in, live in and visit downtown Fredericksburg. This effort is focused on how the Chatham Bridge closure – which is expected to begin this coming May and last approximately 16 months — might affect the immediate downtown and detour areas. The City’s goal is to minimize disruptions to the downtown community.
Public information will include online and printed maps for the detour, parking and alternate routes. There will also be opportunities for the public to sign up for informational alerts. As part of this campaign, the City will be working with Fredericksburg VA Main Street Inc. in planning promotional efforts such as scavenger hunts and “find the mascot” campaigns that will seek to raise awareness about the ease of getting around downtown and the abundant parking options that will still be available throughout construction. Additionally, the City is coordinating with VDOT on maps and signage advertising the detour route. These coordinated efforts will seek to encourage everyone who frequents downtown to share our “open for business as usual” message throughout the 16-month renovation.
More information will be available in the coming months, and the campaign will launch in early 2020. For more information, or if you have questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact Sonja Wise, Fredericksburg Public Information Officer, at 540-372-1010, or visit Fredericksburgva.gov.
At the conclusion of the project, Chatham Bridge will reopen with a rebuilt surface and a 10-foot multi-use pathway separated from vehicular traffic that will connect to Stafford County’s extensive trail system. Here is a VDOT video showing what the rebuilt bridge will look like:
