CHARLESTON-
West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, along with Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox, and other state, federal, and local leaders will be on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Richard J. “Dick” Henderson Memorial Bridge (St. Albans – Nitro Bridge), Friday, November 1 at 11:30 a.m. The celebration will take place in the middle of the new bridge. The public is invited to attend and can access the bridge from both the Nitro and St. Albans sides.
“Having grown up in Nitro, I have an appreciation for how important that bridge is to both communities, and the impact it has on its residents and businesses,” state Secretary Mattox. “So, it is with extra pride that we were able to build it with minimal inconvenience and maximum efficiency.”
Reinforcing and strengthening the existing piers allowed the contractor, Kokosing Construction, Inc, out of Columbus, Ohio, to maintain traffic on the nearly $24 million bridge while work was being done below, thus, only requiring a closure of (less than) 10 months while the superstructure was built.
Also, Thursday, October, 31st from 5-7 p.m., the bridge will be open to pedestrian traffic on Thursday evening for a community celebration, which will include “trunk or treats” from antique vehicles from the Nitro Antique Auto Club parked along the bridge. Again, the public can access the bridge from both sides.