Charlie Reynolds can’t help us. It’s not that the District 6 manager doesn’t want to. It’s just that the decision on future vehicular traffic on the Wheeling Suspension Bridge is WAAYYY above his pay grade.

Literally.

And, sure, we’re well aware DOT Secretary Jimmy Wriston pretty much dropped the bomb back in January when he stated:

“As far as vehicular traffic, (the Suspension Bridge’s) time has probably passed.”

Plus, the state Department of Transportation soundly rejected the few options offered by Wheeling’s mayor nearly four years ago because they were impossible, (tolling and weigh stations), too weak (soft restraint bars, a truck ban, and spacing regulations), or unconstitutional (camera enforcement) in the Mountain State.

So, since the outgoing Elliott nor anyone else has stepped up – publicly, anyway – it’s important to ask now if we can discuss a few ideas that concern access and public safety. Since there’s only a month or so until the current $18 million repair-and-beautification project is completed, it should be asked if state officials would consider the following scenarios:  

  1. Could the Suspension Bridge be opened to cars only when emergencies are fluid, like severe flooding situations when evacuation is necessary or in mass shooting situations?
  2. Could first-responder vehicles weighing under the 4,000-pound limit cross it while responding to 911 emergencies?
  3. Could it be reopened to one-way traffic for under-limit cars only, a pattern that could switch according to the time of each day? This option, by the way, would not include timeframes during which events are taking place at Wheeling Island Stadium, and the bridge also could be closed to regular traffic during the nighttime hours.

The previously adopted all-or-nothing approach failed because it didn’t take into consideration the historical importance of the span, the fact the current construction project literally has fixed everything about the Suspension Bridge, and that limited access in the future could save lives.

So, let’s talk about the Life Factor, shall we?

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2 COMMENTS

  1. I was always scared of that bridge since I was young . But Wheeling is not Wheeling without that bridge. Wonder if the president would help us fix it!It is Our LandMark. He tossing around money like it’s water to other countries. It saddens me It is an eye sore when you can’t use it!you should go after the company that damaged in the first place . A charter bus is too big to belong on the bridge There are signs posted height and weight limits. I feel the company of that bus that damaged it should pay for it!

  2. I like the ideas you have proposed. I would add that it should obviously be available to pedestrian, bicycle, ebike, and scooter traffic at all times. I’m also concerned that the Aetnaville Bridge is now slated for demolition even though it is on the National Register of Historic Places. It could also be a vital piece of infrastructure that could enhance and even save lives on the northern end of Wheeling Island but it has been all but completely forgotten.

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