FOLLANSBEE, W.Va. — The state Division of Highways has closed another state-owned bridge that connects West Virginia to Ohio because of structural issues and a leading state senator isn’t happy about it.
The DOH closed the Market Street Bridge in Follansbee Thursday after a Wednesday inspection.
State Bridge Engineer Tracy Brown said the bridge is inspected every three months. He said some new problems were discovered Wednesday with the bridge’s cable anchoring system.
“There were six broken strands (twisted pieces of metal that make up the suspension cables). Within a three-month period with six broken strands, we were really concerned about some of that strands that were left being at overcapacity,” Brown said.
The age of the bridge, built in the early 1900s, makes it difficult to mathematically model the deficiencies, Brown said.
“We don’t want to take chances with a bridge, especially of this age,” he said.
So the decision was made to close it.
It’s the second Ohio River bridge the DOH has closed this month. Repair work is continuing on the Jennings Randolph Memorial Bridge in Chester.
State Senator Ryan Weld, R-Brooke, is very upset about the way the closing came down. He sent a letter to state Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston Thursday afternoon.
“This closure came with absolutely no warning to either the members of the public who utilize the bridge each day or to the elected officials who represent this area,” Weld said.
He went on to tell Wriston the way the closing was handled was “unacceptable” and points to a “lack of leadership” in the Department of Transportation.
Weld’s letter includes a series of questions for Wriston that he wants answered by close of business on Dec. 29.
“The roads and bridges that our constituents drive on are perhaps the most visible symbol of our state government – and when decisions that greatly affect them such as this occur, they deserve full transparency,” Weld said.
The Market Bridge underwent some major repairs in 2010 in hopes of getting another 10 years out of the span. Brown said it will take a few weeks to decide on a next step.
“We’re hoping to go in there in the next two weeks or so, it may take a little additional time, and dig into it and see if there’s any feasible repairs we can do to prolong the life even more if possible,” Brown said.
Jennings Randolph Memorial Bridge work
Brown said Thursday that crews are making a lot of progress on the Jennings Randolph Memorial Bridge in Chester that was closed earlier this month after some structural issues were discovered.
Crews are gaining access to the interior of the trusses which is a very tight space.
He said they are testing the welds while at the same time developing repair plans for some of the welds.
“We are going to get that open as soon as we possibly can,” Brown said.
Brown said the DOH’s bridge inspection program worked in both cases.
“No one wants to close a bridge and no one wants to deal with a bridge being closed but that’s the way that you proactively keep a bridge inventory safe,” Brown said.
The bridges are two different types of design. Steel cables support the Market Street Bridge while the Jennings Randolph Bridge is a Pratt Truss bridge.
The Market Street Bridge was built in 1905 and is 1,800 feet long. It connects Route 2 at Follansbee to Steubenville, Ohio.
Motorists can still get across the Ohio River at the Veterans Memorial Bridge and the Wellsburg Bridge.