PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) -- After more than four years, Petersburg has a new temporary Oak Hill Bridge. After closing in 2022 due to environmental factors, Petersburg finally restored access to the Oak Hill neighborhood from Crater Road on April 1. Residents said it's been a burden taking a detour fo r the past four years, and while the route is open again, some are questioning why a permanent solution still isn't in place. "This is what it is," said Bertha Hicks, a resident of Oak Hill for more than 30 years. "It's temporary. Nice enough for temporary, but temporary. It says to me, 'good enough.' And I don't want this to be good enough. I want a bridge. I want a street." Residents said the extended closure was a burden, forcing them to take detours, adding to fuel costs and disrupting daily life. "For four years, our community has been effectively isolated due to the deteriorated bridge closure," said Elena Daniel, another resident of Oak Hill. The city of Petersburg announced in March that work had started on installing a temporary bridge, with design and planning underway for a permanent replacement. "I love it," said another longtime resident of Oak Hill, Connie Myers. "I've been waiting for it for a long time and I think it's great. I can live with the temporary bridge until they get to permanent bridge." That permanent bridge will take some more time. Mayor Samuel Parham said construction won't start for another year and a half. He said the planning process is taking into account the environmental factors that closed the original bridge. "The key for the new bridge is to be taller and have a higher elevation," Parham said. "So when the water comes, when we have these heavy rain events and the waters rises, we won't have what we had here with the old Oak Hill bridge, which was 75 years old." "When that water came, the steady water caused it to decay and wash out, and it wasn't safe," Parham said. "It's safe now, because we have this fire truck going here that wouldn't have been able to pass on the old Oak Hill bridge." Even with the relief the temporary bridge provides, some residents are unhappy with the continued delay of a permanent replacment. "We understand infrastructure requires planning, as you have stated this morning," Daniels said, addressing Parham. "What we cannot accept is the prolonged delay without permanent solution." "Four years, including temporary measures, is too great of a burden," Daniels said. Parham said the temporary structure gives residents and emergency vehicles access to Oak Hill without having to wait years for the city to find funding for a permanent bridge. Parham said the permanent bridge should be open in three years. ...read more read less