VDOT closed the bridge several times for limited periods in 2004 when the swing mechanism failed to completely close the bridge, said state officials. The closure inconvenienced residents who regularly used the bridge, forcing on them a 63-mile detour to cross the river. Some frustrated residents parked vehicles at each end of the disabled bridge and either walked or rode golf carts across it. That was when the state decided to replace the aging bridge, which was traveled by an estimated 3,500 vehicles per day, said VDOT Williamsburg Resident Administrator Todd Halacy.