The closure of the I70 eastbound exit ramp for downtown Wheeling has been delayed until late August, according to Ohio County Sheriff Tom Howard.
Exit 1A empties onto to Main Street near the Bridge Tavern and Grill and currently serves as the artery for the primary detour for motorists wishing to continue east through downtown, up Wheeling Hill, and through the Fulton area, but it was scheduled for a mid-June closure by the state Division of Highways.
“We got word that it was going to be delayed for a couple of months, but we were not given an explanation as to why,” Sheriff Howard said. “I believe it’s because of the work on the Fort Henry Bridge. I know there is a big change to the traffic patterns over that bridge in the future, so they are probably not wanting to close that ramp because they still need it right now.
“It’s really a small ramp, but it sure does carry a lot of traffic,” he continued. “I was hoping the schedule for it to close around now would have held true just because of the detours school bus drivers are going to have to adopt for a long time. I know they would have had to take the detours for a little while if it started this month, but now it the close will be last into December.”
I70 Traffic Patterns
Along with alteration near and on the Fort Henry Bridge, Howard said several other traffic patterns soon will take place along at least 10 miles of I-70 in Ohio County.
The renovations of the eastbound and westbound bridges near WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital are only about 50 percent complete, and the same is the case with the spans in Elm Grove and near Middle Creek. The bridges east of Wheeling Tunnel, however, are scheduled for completion by November 1.
“Because of all of the construction in the Fulton area, a lot of people are gaging their guesses when this whole thing will be finished by the end of the year, but that’s not true,” Howard said. “On the original schedule, it’s not supposed to be finished until October of next year. They seem to be working very quickly, and the progress is noticeable, but things can happen.
“Our deputies are following the schedule as it stands today, and we’ll continue monitoring the speed limits since it becomes 45 mph as soon as you hit the West Virginia state line,” he added. “In the past week, one of our deputies cited someone for going 106 mph. The driver wasn’t someone local, so we’re still having issues with the out-of-towners trying to fly through this county.”
