Westham Bridge

Westham Bridge
Westham Bridge - Looking toward the North Pylon from the South Pylon
Carries	SR 147
Crosses	James River
Locale	Chesterfield, Virginia Henrico, Virginia
Official name	Westham Bridge
Maintained by	Southampton Bridge Corporation
History
Opened	1911
Closed	1950
Statistics
Toll	yes

Coordinates: 37°33′42″N 77°32′48.2″W / 37.56167°N 77.546722°W / 37.56167; -77.546722

Westham Bridge crossed the James River between Henrico County and Chesterfield County. The bridge was located between Bosher Dam and Williams Island Dam just west of the 7 miles of rapids and falls which constitute the fall line of the James River at Richmond, Virginia.

Built as a toll bridge in 1911, it was named for the nearby Westham Station of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway near the north end. Also nearby at the north end were the remains of the James River and Kanawha Canal.

The privately held company which financed the bridge, Southampton Bridge Corporation, was headed by developer George Craghead Gregory, who also had plans to extend a streetcar line from an existing line at Westhampton Park (now the University of Richmond) to the suburban community of Bon Air. Originally developed as a popular resort, Bon Air had become a bedroom community of Richmond. Between the James River and Bon Air, Gregory controlled large land areas along the proposed rail line which he hoped to develop. However, despite his plans, aside from grading of right-of-way, Gregory's planned streetcar line did not materialize.