WHEELING, W.Va. — A phase of the $215 million Ohio County Bridges Project on Interstate-70 has been completed on time and officials are relieved because of upcoming traffic projections.
Interstate-70 West from Exit 2A, Oglebay Park/Route 88, to the Wheeling Tunnel re-opened last week, just days before the start of Oglebay Resort’s Festival of Lights that attracts thousands of cars off that exit every winter.
Tony Clark, the Division of Highways District 6 Engineer told MetroNews Monday that the state Department of Transportation had planned this project schedule around the celebration of the lights that begins Thursday and ends Jan. 10.
He said there could be record crowds to see the drive-thru event on Route 88 in Wheeling with it being a socially distanced event.
“That is an immense draw to the area, traffic-wise. We want to reduce the number of hold-ups that we can on I-70. That is right in that area, the Oglebay exit to get to Oglebay Park,” Clark said of getting the phase done on time.
The Oglebay Park exit on I-70 had been open during the past nine months of work that included complete demolition of the Fulton Bridge westbound and work on 26 bridges and ramps.
Clark said there would have been a concern for traffic during the festival if the interstate remained closed because all interstate traffic was being forced to get off at the Oglebay Park exit.
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I-70 West from Exit 2A (Oglebay Park/Kroger) to the Tunnel has re-opened! Thanks for being patient the last nine months.
?? NOTE: I-70 in BOTH directions is still an ACTIVE construction area. Watch for changing traffic patterns, workers and various speed limits. pic.twitter.com/ot0ULuj7dK— Wheeling, WV Police (@WheelingPolice) October 31, 2020
The second major phase of the project will begin around February with the closure of the eastbound lanes in the same portion of I-70 that was worked on westbound.
Clark said this winter will consist of preparation for the replacement of eastbound bridges.
“They are doing the substructure work — the foundations and piers. To get the eastbound Fulton Bridge that will be closed, to get it up to where as soon as they close traffic, they can tear it down and immediately build on,” he said.
Clark credited workers with Swank Construction Company and DOT officials for staying on schedule and being able to finish the phase before the festival started, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There was a temporary shutdown early on with COVID ramping up. We lost about two weeks but overall, the contractors buckled down and kept on schedule,” he said.
Clark also cited COVID-19 for lowering traffic levels on the interstate and making work smoother. He said there has not been any major traffic headaches with construction.
“There were certainly concerns where you try to be as prepared as you can and hope nothing happens. We were as prepared as we could be, I don’t think we had any drastic issues,” Clark said.
Some bridges in the project, that spans from the Ohio line to the Pennsylvania line in the county, are getting touched up while others are getting new beams and decks and some are being completely torn down like the Fulton Bridge. The parts of the Fulton Bridge, constructed in the 1950s, have been due for repair, Clark said.