Despite the recent $3.1 million windfall earmarked for the Kings Highway Bridge, Chuckatuck residents shouldn’t expect a new crossing any time soon.

&uot;Six years is the best case scenario,&uot; said Virginia Department of Transportation District Administrator Dennis Heuer, speaking to the Suffolk City Council on Wednesday.

But that’s only if the Commonwealth Transportation Board earmarks the remaining $34 million needed to build the new span within the next couple of years, Heuer said.

No construction funding is proposed in VDOT’s Six-Year Road Improvement Plan, slated to go before the CTB for final approval by June 30.

But the existing allocation, totally about $6.5 million, will allow the agency to complete the preliminary design, engineering and right-of-way work for the bridge, he added.

Suffolk is vying against other localities for project funding, Heuer said.

&uot;I don’t have pot of money to allocate for the project,&uot; he said. &uot;You are competing with other projects on a regional level.&uot;

The city needs to make its case to get more regional funding with the CTB, he said.

VDOT closed the 77-year-old swingspan bridge last month, after bridge inspectors deemed it no longer safe for vehicle travel.

There may be federal money and grants available for the bridge, Heuer said.

&uot;We can explore that with support from the city,&uot; he added.

The city and VDOT will work together to &uot;aggressively find other funding sources,&uot; said City Manager R. Steven Herbert.

The council scrapped plans to consider making repairs to the existing bridge. Although VDOT estimated the bridge could be repaired with a minimum of $750,000, neither the agency nor the city is willing to make the investment.

&uot;I think the repair issue has been laid to rest tonight,&uot; said Mayor Bobby L. Ralph. &uot;I don’t think anyone is willing to cross that threshold.&uot;

Heuer supported the move,

&uot;The bridge is past its useful life,&uot; Heuer said. &uot;At what point do you stop spending money on repairs versus banking money to use on a future bridge?&uot;