The James River Bridge

Replacing the spectacular diesel-punk edifice that preceded it, the new bridge has, since 1983, quietly allowed cars to transit the 4 and a half watery miles between Newport News and Isle of Wight County and ships to proceed up the channel to inland ports such as Richmond, Petersburg and West Point.

The original span was considered a major engineering feat in 1928. It is a measure of civilization's progress that today, as a piece of infrastructure, it is fairly unremarkable. It would not be of any note whatsoever were it not for one detail. It has no service lane. It is therefore, one of the last places one wants to see steam jet out from ones hood just as one passes through the draw span.

And yet...there it was, jetting out both sides of the hood in utter defiance of all that is decent and proper. Recalcitrant steam, sadistic steam, steam that, like a spoiled and entitled female bully, chooses the most hurtful time and manner in which to make her cruel and demoralizing vituperation. Moreover it was doing this in MY engine compartment.

I had about 4 miles to go before I could pull over. The temperature gauge was rapidly moving towards the red. To break down on a bridge shutting down traffic during rush hour would ensure a ticket and I'd be taken to a mechanic wayy out in Isle of Wight county. So I kept going as the interior filled with the acrid smell of anti-freeze and the steam billowed past my window at an alarming rate...until it billowed no more, which was rather more alarming.  Moments later the heater began to blow cold air and I knew I was done..fortunately I was approaching the top of the second rise in the bridge, which services pleasure craft and fishing vessels that moor up the Pagan river. So I gunned it for a moment, cut the engine and put the car in neutral as I reached the top.

By the time I was where I could pull off I was going about 5 mph which meant I was followed by a lot of VERY irate people, who, like me, were avoiding a major auto wreck in the bridge tunnel and were already driving 30 miles out of their way.  I pulled over, waited for the car to cool, put in all my drinking and bug out water and tried to find the leak, albeit to no avail. There was a trickle coming out but I could not find the source of the  leak so my duct tape was worthless. I drove to a truckstop and bought a lot of water (no sense in leaving a trail of antifreeze for 30 miles) and ran the heater all the way back. There was no huge jet of steam this time but there was a constant faint cloud billowing up from the hood. When my heater blew cold I knew it was time to pull over, wait for cool-down and refill the car. At each stop I searched in vain for the source of the leak.

I finally made it to the mechanic just as they closed. I just got a call a few minutes ago. It turns out that there is a small coolant hose behind a metal panel under the engine block, which I gather has not been changed since 1982. I should get the car back tomorrow.

...and now you know about the James River Bridge.

Posted by: The Brickmuppet at 07:36 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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