MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) and contractor Triton Construction Inc. are working to repair a hole in an I-79 southbound bridge deck in southern Monongalia County. WVDOH District 4 Manager Earl Gaskins said the bridge should reopen within 24 hours.
Southbound traffic is being detoured to Exit 146 (Goshen Road) while repairs are made to the bridge.
The bridge is part of an approximately $62.5 million project to renovate 13 bridges along a 40-mile stretch of I-79 between Lost Creek and Interstate 68 near Morgantown. The contract was awarded in December 2022.
Monday morning at 1 a.m., a hole was discovered in the lane carrying traffic over Toms Run Road, one lane was already closed to traffic for construction. Gaskins said traffic and continuous traffic are the likely causes for the patch to fail.
Contractors are using a quick curing cement to make the repairs and expect the roadway to reopen Tuesday, December 10, 2024.
In January 2024, Triton was awarded an additional contract to replace three pairs of I-79 bridges near mile marker 136, mile marker 140, and mile marker 160 near the West Virginia/Pennsylvania state line valued at $45 million.
Once complete, the two contracts will replace or renovate all the major bridges on I-79 in north central West Virginia. The bridges date from the 1960s.