(Publisher’s Note: This article initially was published at this time last year, but because the Interstate 70 project is more than half complete, we wanted to remind Wheeling residents in this area that this project will begin soon after all the bridges are replaced or repaired.)
The upcoming $7.4 million project on the Washington Ave. Bridge is not a re-decking similar to what is taking place in Bethlehem and along Interstate 70, but instead it is a total replacement of the span initially opened 72 years ago.
According to Wheeling City Manager Bob Herron, the state of West Virginia has agreed to cover 80 percent of the cost thanks to the Off System Bridge Program, and the city’s share is $1.4 million.
“Those funds will come from the monies received from the natural gas leasing agreements,” he said. The American Petroleum Partners is the company we have one agreement with, and they have paid us that money. The lease includes several acres the city owns, and that includes the old landfill in North Park. Along with that lease, we also created a partnership with the Wheeling Park Commission several years ago for the extraction that takes places up there.
“So, yes, we have set aside our share of the funds to have the Washington Avenue Bridge replaced,” Herron said. “The city has done very well with those dollars, and it’s all been used for infrastructure improvements throughout the city.”
Washington Avenue Weight Limit Lowered
It was in August when the city of Wheeling lowered the weight limit on the bridge from 33 tons to 5 tons, causing the folks charged with route control for OVRTA and Ohio County School buses to alter traffic patterns. The reduction also causes the Wheeling Fire Department to consider different options for access to the Pleasanton and Valley View neighborhoods, as well as Wheeling University. Those restrictions likely will remain in place for most, if not all, of next year.
“The city recently received an updated report on that bridge, and it has not deteriorated anymore since the last inspection, so that’s very good news for us and for the state,” Herron said. “The state did appreciate the fact that we placed a new weight limit on that bridge, and what I believe will happen from here is that we will wait to see how things go with the construction on Interstate 70.
“Based on that report which I just received last week, it’s believed that the Washington Avenue Bridge should be OK for at least another year,” he said. “I think people have gotten used to that new limit, and I know our fire department has come up with alternative routes in case something takes place in the affected areas.”
Floating Bridge?
Herron also reported during an interview this week on The Watchdog that council’s Public Works Committee has developed a long-term plan for infrastructure improvements, and it involves several bridges in the city. One of the reasons why a total replacement of the Washington Ave. Bridge is necessary is because of the design of the span, a one-of-a-kind in the city of Wheeling, said the city manager.
“That bridge is known as a ‘floating bridge,’ and it actually moves on the piers at the ends of it,” Herron explained. “It’s a design I have only seen one time, and it’s that one bridge. The steel on that span is still in pretty good shape, but it’s really the rest of it that needs to be addressed before the weight limit can increase again.
“But it does need completely replaced, and that’s the bad news,” he added. “The good news is that there is no immediate danger with that bridge at this time, so there is no need to close it. The new weight limit was just a precaution we felt we needed to take so there aren’t further issues with it that arise.”
