Ohio County Sheriff Tom Howard has tried to instigate the erection of a temporary Manchester Bridge on many occasions, and that’s because he believes lives we will be at risk. And he is correct.
On Feb. 3, the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 will be closed from Exit 2A (Oglebay Park) to the Wheeling Tunnel for at least nine months while three bridge systems are demolished and reconstructed. The first bridge spans Big Wheeling Creek near Perkins Restaurant; the second was constructed over the creek and parts of the Fulton neighborhood; and the third allows for travel over McColloch Street in East Wheeling.
Swank Construction out of western Pennsylvania was hired by the state Division of Highways to complete repairs to 19 bridges and ramps in Ohio County, and the company’s employees are also charged with the replacement of the six spans in the Fulton area. Westbound is first on the construction schedule, and then the three eastbound systems are set for the same come 2021.
That is when Howard believes a crisis will begin if the Manchester Bridge is not replaced to join 17th Street in East Wheeling with Rock Point Road. Such a span would create a path, he believes, for emergency vehicles to reach Wheeling Hospital, now the only operating emergency room within the municipality.
“It’s all about response and while there are other ways the paramedics could travel to get someone from East Wheeling to the neighborhoods south of it, minutes matter,” the sheriff said. “I hate to say it, but people could die in an ambulance if just one accident takes place at the same time.
“I have brought it up several times during the meetings I have had with the people from the DOH, but they haven’t been very receptive to the idea,” Howard reported. “But those folks aren’t from here. They don’t live here, so they don’t understand the situation I’ve tried to explain to them.”
The bridge was closed in the 1990s and demolished in the early 2000s because of issues with structural integrity. Former W.Va. Gov. Cecil Underwood once promised a replacement funded largely by the state, but the project never happened.
“What I have asked for is a replacement bridge because many times when they are put in, they last up to 20 years,” Howard said. “That would get us past these projects, and I feel people would be much safer. It’s a project that needs to be included.
“There are some people who believe the ambulances can use the old 20th Street bridge, but that’s private property now, and it’s usually blocked by vehicles belonging to the two businesses in that area,” he explained. “A replacement bridge would eliminate the problem.”
Howard would welcome company in the effort to gain the replacement bridge, but to this point, he and Chief Deputy John Schultz are alone in urging the initiative.
“Hey, if the city of Wheeling wants to join in, they would be very welcome,” the sheriff offered. “I know a lot of people who live in Wheeling who agree with what we are trying to do because they think it would save lives, too.
“It would only help the effort, in my opinion,” Howard added. “And there’s still some time left to get it done. The pier supports from the original Manchester Bridge are still there and could be used for a temporary structure so that would cut down on the cost, and I believe it would save lives. I just want people to be safe.”
