Thanks to a new bridge over a channel in the James River, Chesterfield County trail walkers can now close the loop at Dutch Gap.

Previously, people taking the main trail at the Dutch Gap Conservation Area found a watery dead end after a 4-mile journey and had to turn around and hike or bike it to get back.

Now, a no-frills steel structure, built by Harper Dredge and Dock for $342,000, spans the 210 feet of water that divided the trail, providing a full route around the tidal lagoon. The bridge opened to the public June 21.

"This finally completes the loop," said Stuart Connock Jr., the county's chief of parks design and construction.

The 8 miles of trail within the 810-acre conservation area are awash with nature and history, with the 1611 Citie of Henricus surrounded by 500 acres of wetlands and marsh.

The county's Parks and Recreation Department, which operates Dutch Gap, used the bridge construction as an opportunity to spruce up the trail system, adding an information kiosk with a color-coded map and information on plant life. Educational markers also have been installed along the trails, frequented for years by bicyclists, horseback riders, joggers, fisherman and birdwatchers.

The conservation area also has five floating docks for fishing and more than 160 species of birds, including eagles and blue herons.

"The bridge itself is pretty nondescript, and we did that on purpose," Connock said. "Nature is the main feature here."

Douglas Gilliatt, a Chester resident who has been jogging the Dutch Gap trail since 2004, said the addition of the bridge was bittersweet because it meant his secret was out.

"This opens it up to a lot more people. Before, you knew very few people were willing to go in very far because they'd have to turn right around," he said. "But some days you go the 4 miles and you're really glad [the bridge is] there."
Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or whester@timesdispatch.com.