Construction work is on schedule for the new Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge on Interstate 64 to open to traffic later this fall. The new bridge is the first half of a project to replace the current interstate bridge over the Kanawha River between Nitro and St. Albans.
The 1,400-foot bridge is part of a widening project between the bridge and the US 35 interchange. The approximately $225 million project will widen I-64 from four to six lanes and includes replacing the existing bridge and five more bridges between Nitro and US 35.
The project is funded through Gov. Jim Justice’s Roads to Prosperity highway construction and maintenance program.
Contractors began lifting steel beams into place high over the Kanawha River in February 2022. Cost of the project is approximately $34.6 million.
Once the new bridge is open to traffic, a second bridge just north of the existing structure will be built on the site of the current span using a portion of the existing bridge pilings. That project, at a cost of about $18 million, is expected to begin this fall and be complete by the summer of 2025.
Each bridge will be four lanes wide to allow traffic to pass between Nitro and St. Albans without having to enter the main traffic lanes. When the project is complete westbound traffic will use the new bridge, while the rebuilt existing span will carry eastbound traffic.
Entrance and exit ramps for the St. Albans exit are complete. Temporary entrance and exit ramps for the Nitro exit are currently under construction, with permanent ramps expected to be complete by the summer of 2025.