On January 15, 2025 the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) published its new project proposal to replace the Interstate 66 bridge that crosses Broad Run. VDOT's new 2025 proposal increased the scope of the project from a superstructure replacement to a full bridge replacement, nearly doubling the project's cost and the physical footprint of the finished bridge.

If the current proposal moves forward, our community faces the permanent damage to, or possible loss of, the tallest surviving stacked stone gristmill in the United States, a historic site that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. VDOT seeks to increase the footprint of the Broad Run bridge by expanding its shoulders by 16' - encroaching upon Chapman-Beverley's historic site. The increased proximity of the bridge project—and eventually, interstate traffic—threatens the structural integrity of Chapman-Beverley Mill through increased vibration and construction activity. Additionally, moving Interstate 66 even closer to the Mill site will significantly deteriorate its historic setting. The disruption to the Chapman-Beverley site and potential destabilization of the Mill itself would invalidate decades of community work and millions of dollars in preservation efforts to preserve the site following its arson in 1998. VDOT's project would create a weakened and disfigured landscape, and a vital chapter of Virginia's story will be lost.

Now is the time to act—before contracts are signed and the project begins. Our community has already commented, preservation experts have raised their concerns, and alternative solutions are possible. As a community, we urge VDOT to pause its current plan, to further engage with preservation experts, and pursue a bridge project that both serves appropriate transportation needs and protects Virginia’s historic legacy. 

Please sign this petition to demand that VDOT reconsider its destructive proposal before it is too late.