CHARLESTON, WV-
Less than 48 hours after closing the eastbound lanes of the I-64 bridge between St. Albans and Nitro, the West Virginia Division of Highways is pleased to announce that repairs have been made to the expansion joint and the bridge is expected to re-open this morning, Saturday, Feb. 8, by 6 a.m.
"The job our transportation team did, with the assistance from our law enforcement and contractor partners, to complete these repairs in this short amount of time cannot be overstated," said Secretary of Transportation Byrd White.
"From our traffic engineering to our maintenance crews and, in particular, our bridge crew, it was a total team effort with many logistical considerations," Sec. White added. "While most people will never fully appreciate the challenges our folks faced, I do. Their commitment to getting the job done is a testament to the type of professionals we have at the West Virginia Division of Highways."
State Bridge Engineer Tracy Brown added: "I said that to complete these repairs within 48 hours would really be a feat. Our bridge crew worked around the clock, in some difficult weather conditions, to make these repairs, and I could not be more proud of their work."
On Friday, forms were built under the bridge and crews poured concrete late Friday afternoon. A critical requirement before opening the bridge is the on-site compressive strength testing of concrete.
Acceptable strength was reached early Saturday morning, however, engineers felt it would be beneficial to allow the "green" concrete extra hours to cure before re-opening the bridge to traffic.
