CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Patrick Morrisey said last month that highway bridge work would be one of the hallmarks of his administration’s DOH and a coming project in Kanawha County is an example of that plan.
The Division of Highways has awarded a contract for the replacement of three bridges at the Montrose Drive exit of I-64 in South Charleston to Triton Construction. The company had the winning bid of just more than $23 million.
The work however, is more than just putting on a new deck. This is the removal and reconstruction of three separate spans.
“The project will replace the bridge over I-64, the bridge over First Avenue right beside the railroad tracks, and the bridge over Second Avenue in South Charleston,” said Division of Highways Spokesman Brent Walker. “Most of the travelling public knows the one span over I-64, but there are two other bridges.”
The bridges are on the north end of the interstate between the highway and the intersection at the main entrance to Dow Chemical. The Montrose Drive exit is an extremely important access point in the Kanawha Valley which is why those spans have been given such a high priority by the Morrisey administration.
“It’s an important piece in allowing traffic from the interstate to South Charleston, but locals know it as a place to possibly beat some congestion and make it back onto the interstate,” he added.
Morrisey cited a recent report during an event in Bridgeport on June 9 that said 14 percent of the state’s bridges are in poor condition. He said his goal is to significantly get that number down.
Transportation Secretary Stephen Todd Rumbaugh, in a statement, said bridge replacement is a big focus right now.
“We plan to improve the condition of our bridges by 2028, and get those in poor condition down below 10 percent. The first step in meeting that goal is putting out projects like this,” Rumbaugh said.
The Montrose Drive work is among 22 other bridge projects which were part of a recent bid letting.
A pre-construction meeting among Triton and DOH officials is set in the next three weeks and the work is expected to get started either late this year or more likely the early part of 2026.