WHEELING, W.Va. — Hearing the news from the West Virginia Division of Highways (DOH) that a bid was awarded to a contractor to rehabilitate the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge was ‘a relief’ to Mayor Glenn Elliott.
The bridge has been closed to vehicles since September 2019 and Elliott said the city became concerned the DOH may drop any plans for rehabilitation. In the past week, the DOH awarded a $17.9 million contract to Advantage Steel & Construction LLC out of Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. Two other bids were received during the Aug. 10 bid letting.
“We were concerned, of course, that the bridge becomes a casualty in all the different budgetary issues throughout the state,” Elliott told MetroNews this week.
“We know we are a state with a lot of infrastructure issues. So it was really great news when the governor made the announcement that the bridge is going to be saved.”
In December, the DOH rejected a $17.7 million bid submitted on proposed repair work, as it was the only bid. State Department of Transportation Secretary Byrd White described that bid as ‘over budget.’.
The DOH released a statement to MetroNews on how the recent bid was similar to Decembers and why the DOH awarded it. “There was only one bid in December; with the most recent letting there were three. The work is specialized because the structure is historic, therefore letting the project again in hopes of getting a lower cost may not yield any significantly lower bid. We have decided to move forward with the project.”
In Monday’s release from Gov. Jim Justice’s office, it states that the project will make necessary repairs to the bridge’s superstructure and substructure, replace any damaged suspension cables, renovate lighting, and clean and paint the span.
The bridge’s cables had been damaged in late June 2019 after a coach bus crossed, violating the bridge’s weight limit. The 172-year old bridge then closed for repair work to its cables until it reopened in August 2019. Just one month later, in September 2019, White said the bridge would close again, citing safety concerns.
The DOH lowered the barriers on the bridge to 7 feet, 6 inches which are controlled by hard constraints, before its reopening in August 2019. There remained a 2-ton, 4,000-pound, weight limit and law to maintain a 50’ minimum distance between vehicles, but Elliott said those were not being followed, forcing its closure.
Elliott has pushed for the bridge to reopen to vehicular traffic but says only if it is safe. He said in the past and to MetroNews this week that there needs to be more plans to protect the bridge, such as weight stations or harder barriers.
However, the DOH said this week that contractors won’t know until they begin work on the bridge whether it is damaged too badly to even reopen safely to vehicles.
“We want that bridge to stay open,” Elliott said. “We love what it means for the city, what it represents from the past and what it represents for the future. But we have to make sure it can stay open in a safe way. Hopefully, something can come up that will make it safe and permit small vehicles to use it.”
The 1,300-foot span opened in 1849 and connects the downtown section of the city to Wheeling Island. When the bridge first opened, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world and served as part of the first major improved highway in the United States that ran from Maryland to Illinois.
The city held a 170th birthday celebration for the bridge in 2019, just weeks before the incident with the tour bus.
“We are proud of that bridge, it means a lot to us. That bridge represents the history of Wheeling in a way that no other structure does,” Elliott told MetroNews.
VIEW: History of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge
Gov. Jim Justice released a statement on the bridge with the DOH announcement, ” This bridge is a landmark piece of our state’s history, and I am fully committed to doing all we can to preserve it for generations to come,” he said.
“Through our work on this project, we will restore the bridge back to its historic beauty so it can continue to connect the great community of Wheeling to the world for generations to come.”
As I’ve said many times, I truly believe that Wheeling is an area full of so much potential it’s unbelievable. I will continue to do everything in my power to help draw people in to experience all the goodness that Wheeling and the entire northern panhandle has to offer.
— Governor Jim Justice (@WVGovernor) August 31, 2021
The bridge remains open to pedestrians. Elliott said it’s been used in a positive way.
“Since it’s been closed to vehicles, it has become a walking and bicycling bridge more than it ever has been,” he said. “That is something nice to see because we are trying to encourage Wheeling to be a healthy place to live. Getting people out and walking and biking is certainly a good thing.”
According to Tony Clark, District 6 Engineer, Advantage Steel will be taking some field measurements immediately to determine quantities, with the bulk of the field work resuming next construction season. The completion date is summer of 2023.
Advantage Steel & Construction served as a general contractor for the steel rehabilitation of the New River Gorge Bridge in 2017.