Demolition of the Upper Gassaway Bridge in Gassaway is now complete, with the remnants of the 89-year-old span lying quietly on the banks of the Elk River.
On Tuesday, January 9, 2024, contractors Orders Construction brought the main span of the bridge down with explosives. Within 48 hours, the steel frame was lifted out of the river and the stone bridge support piers were demolished.
On Monday, January 15, 2024, Orders Construction began cutting the steel bridge frame into smaller pieces for disposal. Steel from the bridge is being taken to a local salvage yard.
The Upper Gassaway Bridge was built in 1935, replacing an earlier span across the Elk River dating from 1912. A new deck was added to the bridge in 1963, with further repairs and renovations to the span in 1970, 1992, 1995, and 1996.
But by 2016, it was apparent that the bridge needed replacement. The bridge, which carries WV 4 across the Elk River, sees about 1,900 cars a day. But the span was narrow, and carried weight restrictions limiting the amount of weight the bridge could support.
In November 2020, Orders Construction was awarded a contract for $4,719,806.85 to build a new bridge across the Elk River and tear down the old truss bridge. Orders Construction built a new, curving bridge immediately downstream of the steel truss bridge to allow the use of the original bridge approaches.
