With Jordan Bridge Reconstruction, American Infrastructure Partners Uses Private Capital To Help Revive Elizabeth River Park

In a nation where 42% of bridges are at least 50 years old and more than 46,000 bridges are classified as structurally deficient, a successful private-public partnership between United Bridge Partners, American Infrastructure Partners, and the City of Chesapeake has transformed the South Norfolk Jordan Bridge in Chesapeake, Virginia, offering a compelling model for addressing America’s aging infrastructure crisis.

The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that state and local governments face a $125 billion bridge repair backlog nationwide. Against this backdrop, the Jordan Bridge project demonstrates how private capital can help municipalities overcome budget constraints while delivering crucial infrastructure improvements.

The original Jordan Bridge, built in 1928, had become a textbook example of the deteriorating bridge infrastructure in the U.S. by 2008. Like thousands of other aging bridges across the country, it faced mounting structural issues that threatened public safety. When the City of Chesapeake confronted repair costs estimated at $17 million and replacement costs exceeding $200 million — far beyond available municipal funds — the city council voted to decommission the bridge in October 2008, adding Chesapeake to the ranks of communities forced to close vital infrastructure due to financial constraints.

What happened next sets the Jordan Bridge apart from many similar cases. In December 2008, United Bridge Partners and American Infrastructure Partners proposed a private financing solution that would address the bridge’s structural issues and catalyze broader community development, including a revitalization of the Elizabeth River Park. The comprehensive plan included removing the old bridge for $3 million and constructing the new South Norfolk Jordan Bridge for $143 million, all through private funding.

Bridging Infrastructure and Community Development

Estimates show a need to increase bridge rehabilitation spending from $14.4 billion to $22.7 billion annually. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Infrastructure Report Card, the average age of American bridges has reached 44 years, with 12% of highway bridges now 80 years or older. Structurally deficient bridges average 69 years old, well beyond their typical 50-year design life.

The Jordan Bridge reconstruction addressed these issues proactively, incorporating modern design standards and integrating several features that align with priorities outlined in the Infrastructure Report Card for contemporary bridge construction.

The bridge employs a fixed concrete design that allows for the seamless coexistence of vehicle, rail, and maritime traffic. The walking path’s connection to the bridge particularly addresses the growing demand for pedestrian accessibility in infrastructure projects.

But the project’s impact extended beyond basic infrastructure replacement. By elevating the roadway with the new bridge design, the United Bridge Partners and American Infrastructure Partners plan freed up valuable land for public use.

The original Jordan Bridge had divided what is now Elizabeth River Park but the new bridge eliminated this divide, opening a swath of space for development. This enabled the City of Chesapeake to invest $4.3 million in renovating and expanding the 12.6-acre park, transforming a previously divided and underutilized space into a vibrant community asset.

The park’s renaissance included modern amenities such as a snack shack with food and bait, updated restrooms, a covered pavilion with picnic tables, paved parking, a walking path connecting directly to the bridge, a free public boat ramp, docking facilities, a certified fish weigh station, and a fish cleaning station.

The investment in Elizabeth River Park could also have broader economic impacts. According to the National Recreation and Park Association’s 2023 Economic Impact Report, local park and recreation spending generates substantial financial benefits.

In 2021 alone, local park and recreation agencies generated more than $201 billion in economic activity and supported almost 1.1 million jobs across the United States. The report also highlights that parks and recreation amenities are crucial factors in property values and economic development, with 87% of corporate executives rating quality-of-life features as important when choosing locations for company facilities.

Homes and properties located near parklands consistently demonstrate higher values than those located farther away, benefiting both property owners and the local tax base through increased revenue.

Private Capital and US Bridge Funding Needs

The project’s timing was significant given current national bridge conditions. According to Federal Highway Administration data, roughly 178 million trips occur daily across structurally deficient bridges in the U.S. While the percentage of structurally deficient bridges has decreased from 12.1% a decade ago to 7.5% today, the rate of improvement has slowed to just 0.1% annually in recent years. At current rates, it would take until 2071 to address all necessary bridge repairs nationwide.

The Jordan Bridge project avoided this fate through innovative financing. While 37 states have increased or reformed their gas taxes since 2010 to fund infrastructure improvements, the federal Highway Trust Fund remains perpetually near insolvency, with its primary funding source — the federal motor fuels tax — unchanged since 1993.

While the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has allocated $40 billion over five years specifically for bridge projects, it addresses only a fraction of the estimated $319 billion required to repair bridges across the United States, as reported by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. Private capital partnerships like the Jordan Bridge project offer an alternative funding mechanism that can accelerate crucial infrastructure improvements.

With nearly 231,000 bridges requiring repair or preservation work across all 50 states, the need for innovative funding solutions has never been more urgent. American Infrastructure Partners and United Bridge Partners’ involvement in the Jordan Bridge project suggests that private capital, when properly structured, can help municipalities overcome budget constraints while delivering infrastructure improvements that serve multiple community needs. As America’s bridge infrastructure continues to age and deteriorate faster than it can be repaired or replaced, the Jordan Bridge project could serve as a replicable model for addressing these challenges.