CHARLESTON, WV – A section of eastbound Interstate 70 in Wheeling that has been closed since early 2021 will reopen Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, when the Fulton Bridge reopens. The bridge and ramp connecting the Fort Henry Bridge on eastbound Interstate 70 with downtown Wheeling will also close on Monday, Oct. 4 for work on the bridge deck and superstructure.
Both bridge projects are part of a massive $215 million West Virginia Division of Highways project to replace or rehabilitate 26 bridges along Interstate 70 between the Ohio state line and Elm Grove.
“These bridges were built back in the 1950s,” said West Virginia Division of Highways District 6 Engineer Tony Clark, P.E. “It was time for them to be rehabilitated or completely rebuilt.
“At the end of the day we’ll walk away with 26 new bridges that we won’t have to worry about for another two to four decades,” Clark said.
Interstate 70 has been closed in the area of the Fulton Bridge since early 2021. Clark said the closure was necessary to completely demolish and rebuild the Fulton Bridge.
Reopening the span will restore direct access from the interstate to Wheeling Hospital, which had been disrupted by the bridge closure.
The bridge and ramp at Exit 1A, which connects the Fort Henry Bridge with downtown Wheeling, will close on Monday, Oct. 4 for about 120 days. Drivers used to taking Exit 1A off Interstate 70 East will instead take Exit 1B to 16th Street during the closure.
Motorists are asked to remain alert and pay attention to the new traffic patterns. The bridge projects are paid for with funding from Gov. Jim Justice’s Roads to Prosperity highway construction and maintenance program.