SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A busy bridge on Interstate 64 in South Charleston will see some traffic backups this week, as crews are working on the bridge crossing Central Avenue between the Montrose Drive and Kanawha Turnpike exits.
Workers for Triton Construction, who had the winning bid for the $2.2 million project, are replacing the concrete bridge deck on the overpass.
While work has been going on for several weeks during the nighttime hours, some work can only take place during the daytime.
David Brabham, a consultant area engineer for the West Virginia Department of Highways (WVDOH), says crews are working both day and night.
“We’re actually doing both. We have crews around the clock,” Brabham said Wednesday. “They’re doing prep work in the day and then they’re pouring concrete at night, trying to get the job done quicker.”
Jacob Marinich, project engineer for Triton Construction, says the concrete being used is fast-acting.
“Over the course of the next few days, they’re going to be pouring what is called ‘rapid-set concrete, Marinich said. “They’re doing it on one section of the bridge, then we’ll flop over and do the other side soon.”
The work on the bridge is sure to back traffic up at times, but Marinich says this will be a quick turnaround.
“On paper, the overlay process will be about 14 days,” Marinich said. “We will have some guys lingering around doing some painting and stuff like that that’ll last a little bit longer.”
Brabham says he’s aware backups on this section of highway will be frustrating, but it will soon be worth it.
“It’s obviously frustrating during construction when you’re slowed down and you’ve got all this noisy equipment going on, but I hope at the end of the month, it’ll be nice, and you’ll have a nice, smooth bridge to drive across.”
Brabham also says the daytime hours cause the most congestion, so the most important work is saved for nighttime.
“In the daytime, obviously, it affects them more than night, so that’s why we’re trying to do some of the worst work at night.”
Law enforcement does have a presence on the portion of Interstate 64, as a police officer will sit in the area at all hours with their lights on to make sure drivers slow down. Brabham says that helps control the traffic flow.
“That’s part of the contract. The contractor will hire an off-duty police officer, and it really helps with traffic control,” Brabham said. “When people see the blue lights, they certainly slow down, so that helps a lot.”
The project is scheduled to be fully completed by Friday, September 20.