Opponents of a plan to replace a bridge on Interstate 66 near a historic mill in Broad Run told officials from the Virginia Department of Transportation at a hearing in Marshall Thursday that such a large project could be bad for the area and put historic sites at risk. 

A $47.7 million bridge replacement project funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia is facing resistance from local officials and conservation groups, who say the plan could threaten a centuries-old mill and surrounding protected land.

VDOT’s revised design marks a shift from their original 2023 plan, which called for a more limited superstructure repair within the existing footprint. The updated proposal, released in early 2025, would widen the bridge by roughly 60 feet in front of the Chapman-Beverley Mill-a historic 18th-century stone mill listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Chapman-Beverley Mill in Broad Run, an 18th- and 19th-century gristmill considered to be among the tallest stacked stone buildings in the country, was damaged by arson in the late 1990s and requires maintenance to slow its deterioration, Preservation Virginia said.

The walls of the historic structure will be lighted from sundown to sunrise with red, white and blue LED spotlights; it’s a project being undertaken by the Turn the Mill Around Campaign, owners of the mill, as a way to celebrate Independence Day and kick off 2020 fundraising efforts.

The grist mill was built in 1742 on the border between Fauquier and Prince William counties. The TTMAC took over the mill and associated property soon after arson nearly destroyed the structure in 1998. The walls of the mill were stabilized, making it possible to open the mill to the public on weekends.

With the mill now stabilized, plans call for pedestrian pathways around the mill for views of the millpond, the sluice gate, the flume and the 29-foot mill wheel. Long-range plans call for getting the mill wheel turning to produce a bit of hydro-electricity, Allshouse said.