The Suffolk City Council abandoned its discussion Wednesday to look for ways to temporarily patch up the closed Kings Highway Bridge.

But a handful of Chuckatuck citizens hoping to resurrect the idea has organized a community meeting with Suffolk City Councilman Joseph Barlow at 7:30 p.m. today. The meeting at the Chuckatuck Volunteer Fire Department is open to the public.

&uot;The Kings Highway Bridge is a major connector out here,&uot; said Linda Wright, a Bridge Point Farm resident helping to plan the meeting. &uot;There is no precedence in Virginia of a major connector being shut down with no immediate plan to do anything about it.

&uot;A lot of us out here feel like we have been forgotten,&uot; she continued. &uot;Not too many people are real happy with the current situation.&uot;

She believes local residents would be willing to pay tolls to fund bridge repairs.

Barlow will also be available to address concerns about the city’s proposal to take over road maintenance from the Virginia Department of Transportation.

Barlow has gone on record saying he will support the proposal. A final vote on the plan is slated at the next Suffolk City Council meeting.

allison.willians@suffolknewsherald.com