 In 1898, the R&P merged with the Petersburg Railroad, which ran south from Petersburg, Virginia, to Garysburg, North Carolina (near the rail hub of Weldon), to form the Atlantic Coast Line of Virginia and in 1900 this company was merged into the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, creating a non stop railroad from Augusta, Georgia to Richmond.Beyond Richmond, the ACL used the tracks of the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad and other numerous railroads to extend their line to the Potomac River and subsequently Washington, DC and all points north.Two years after the founding of the ACL, in 1902, the bridge was rebuilt for the fourth time.