WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito has announced the U.S. Department of Transportation has chosen two Kanawha County bridge projects for funding.
The DOT will give the grant to help fund the full replacement of the Dunbar Toll Bridge that connects Dunbar and South Charleston and the rehabilitation of the Kanawha Turnpike bridge that passes over Interstate 64 in South Charleston.
Total funding for the two projects is $65 million. Additional funds will either come from the state or other sources like federal formula funds.
Capito said the projects were chosen through the DOT’s Competitive Highway Bridge Program (CHBP).
“I am pleased that funding from the bridge program that I helped establish during the appropriations process will support the much-needed replacement of the Dunbar Toll Bridge as part of the West Kanawha Bridge Bundle project. I extend my gratitude to Secretary Duffy for awarding these important federal funds, which will improve safety and the movement of people and goods across the Kanawha Valley,” Capito said. “I am proud to see this funding come to WVDOH to support their continued efforts to upgrade our state’s bridges and I look forward to continuing to partner with the Trump Administration to deliver more infrastructure wins for our state.”
The Dunbar Toll Bridge, which no longer takes tolls, was built in 1953. The state DOH held a informational workshop on the future of the bridge in October 2024.
The alternatives the WVDOT put on the table that night included:
– No build, or “do nothing” but continue routine maintenance
– Rehabilitation in the existing location
-Replacement in the same location
-Replacement in a parallel location slightly east