Virginia State Police identified the worker who died on the job at the Benjamin Harrison Bridge yesterday afternoon as Joao Celso Palamar, 30, of Newark, N.J.

Palamar was a subcontractor for the Virginia Department of Transportation. He was powerwashing in an elevator shaft above the bridge when he died, said Sgt. Tom Cunningham, a Virginia State Police spokesman.

The bridge over the James River southeast of Richmond was closed for a few hours after Palamar died. Details about his death were unavailable.

The bridge carries state Route 106/156 across the river between Charles City and Prince George counties. It was reopened before 10:30 last night.