Wheeling Suspension Bridge - West Virginia Department of Transportation

https://wvmetronews.com/2021/09/05/wheeling-mayor-encouraged-by-plans-to-rehabilitate-historic-suspension-bridge/ Hearing the news from the West Virginia Division of Highways (DOH) that a bid was awarded to a contractor to rehabilitate the historic Wheeling Suspension Bridge was ‘a relief’ to Mayor Glenn Elliott. The bridge has been closed to vehicles since September 2019 and Elliott said the city became concerned the DOH may drop any plans for rehabilitation. In the past week, the DOH awarded a $17.9 million contract to Advantage Steel & Construction LLC out of Saxonburg, Pennsylvania. Two other bids were received during the Aug. 10 bid letting. Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott “We were concerned, of course, that the bridge becomes a casualty in all the different budgetary issues throughout the state,” Elliott told MetroNews this week. “We know we are a state with a lot of infrastructure issues. So it was really great news when the governor made the announcement that the bridge is going to be saved.” In December, the DOH rejected a $17.7 million bid submitted on proposed repair work, as it was the only bid. State Department of Transportation Secretary Byrd White described that bid as ‘over budget.’. The DOH released a statement to MetroNews on how the recent bid was similar to Decembers and why the DOH awarded it. “There was only one bid in December; with the most recent letting there were three. The work is specialized because the structure is historic, therefore letting the project again in hopes of getting a lower cost may not yield any significantly lower bid. We have decided to move forward with the project.” In Monday’s release from Gov. Jim Justice’s office, it states that the project will make necessary repairs to the bridge’s superstructure and substructure, replace any damaged suspension cables, renovate lighting, and clean and paint the span. The bridge’s cables had been damaged in late June 2019 after a coach bus crossed, violating the bridge’s weight limit. The 172-year old bridge then closed for repair work to its cables until it reopened in August 2019. Just one month later, in September 2019, White said the bridge would close again, citing safety concerns. The DOH lowered the barriers on the bridge to 7 feet, 6 inches which are controlled by hard constraints, before its reopening in August 2019. There remained a 2-ton, 4,000-pound, weight limit and law to maintain a 50’ minimum distance between vehicles, but Elliott said those were not being followed, forcing its closure. Elliott has pushed for the bridge to reopen to vehicular traffic but says only if it is safe. He said in the past and to MetroNews this week that there needs to be more plans to protect the bridge, such as weight stations or harder barriers. However, the DOH said this week that contractors won’t know until they begin work on the bridge whether it is damaged too badly to even reopen safely to vehicles. “We want that bridge to stay open,” Elliott said. “We love what it means for the city, what it represents from the past and what it represents for the future. But we have to make sure it can stay open in a safe way. Hopefully, something can come up that will make it safe and permit small vehicles to use it.” The 1,300-foot span opened in 1849 and connects the downtown section of the city to Wheeling Island. When the bridge first opened, it was the largest suspension bridge in the world and served as part of the first major improved highway in the United States that ran from Maryland to Illinois. The city held a 170th birthday celebration for the bridge in 2019, just weeks before the incident with the tour bus. “We are proud of that bridge, it means a lot to us. That bridge represents the history of Wheeling in a way that no other structure does,” Elliott told MetroNews. VIEW: History of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge Gov. Jim Justice released a statement on the bridge with the DOH announcement, ” This bridge is a landmark piece of our state’s history, and I am fully committed to doing all we can to preserve it for generations to come,” he said. “Through our work on this project, we will restore the bridge back to its historic beauty so it can continue to connect the great community of Wheeling to the world for generations to come.” The bridge remains open to pedestrians. Elliott said it’s been used in a positive way. “Since it’s been closed to vehicles, it has become a walking and bicycling bridge more than it ever has been,” he said. “That is something nice to see because we are trying to encourage Wheeling to be a healthy place to live. Getting people out and walking and biking is certainly a good thing.” According to Tony Clark, District 6 Engineer, Advantage Steel will be taking some field measurements immediately to determine quantities, with the bulk of the field work resuming next construction season. The completion date is summer of 2023. Advantage Steel & Construction served as a general contractor for the steel rehabilitation of the New River Gorge Bridge in 2017. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2020/11/w-va-doh-evaluating-bids-for-wheeling-suspension-bridge-renovation-project/ Bids for the Wheeling Suspension Bridge Renovation Project are currently being evaluated by the West Virginia Division of Highways, according to DOH District 6 Engineer Tony Clark. "Where it stands right now, we have received the bids -- and as we do with all projects, they are being evaluated," Clark explained. He said the DOH generates estimated costs for each project item and the DOH is currently in the process determining whether bids received are estimated to be accurate. Providing the DOH accepts a bid and everything goes on schedule, Clark said the project is expected to begin by spring of next year. He said while it is possible a contractor could perform some preliminary work on the project sooner if a bid is accepted, it is more likely the work will begin by next spring. Clark said the intent of the scheduled renovation project is to "maintain the integrity of the structure." He said it is still undetermined if the bridge will eventually be reopened to vehicular traffic. It was during a meeting in January with more than 75 Wheeling Island residents that Clark, along with several other DOH officials explained while they still didn't know what the long-term plan would be for the historic structure -- including whether it will ever reopen to vehicular traffic -- they recognized it is an important structure historically. Clark explained once the project begins it is expected to take approximately "two construction seasons" to complete. He said March through October is generally considered to be one construction season. DOH officials also emphasized at the meeting that even with the completion of the rehabilitation project, the weight limit for the span will not increase. The Wheeling Island Community Association hosted the event along with DOH officials as a way to start a proactive conversation about the future of the structure after it was closed indefinitely to vehicular traffic in September 2019. A Coach USA Lenzer bus exceeding the bridge's two-ton weight limit crossed the bridge on June 29, 2019, causing damage to the structure. It was reopened and closed several times before it was closed indefinitely to vehicular traffic in the fall of 2019. It was also in January when crews with HDR Engineering of Weirton inspected one of the bridge cable vaults while taking underground core samples near the corner of 10th and Main Streets. The work was to further help West Virginia Division of Highway officials study options for maintaining the structural integrity of the historic span. At that time, Clark said recent inspections uncovered "known deficiencies in the northeast anchorages" of the bridge and the findings from HDR would be part of moving forward with a scheduled rehabilitation project with the structure that was expected to begin by fall of this year or spring of 2021. ______________________________________________________________________ Plans call to rehabilitate the Wheeling Suspension Bridge. The Wheeling Suspension Bridge spans over the Wheeling Heritage Trail, Ohio River Trail segment, a paved shared-use trail that extends along the east side of the Ohio River from 48th Street at Water Street in South Wheeling north to Pike Island Locks and Dam in Clearview. As of April 29, 2020, this project is in final design stage. A bid schedule for contractors is scheduled for Fall 2020, with construction to begin by or before Spring of 2021. *Project information, including timeline and contacts, has been obtained through public sources. The content management team continues to pursue additional details; however, the contact(s) listed have yet to disclose or confirm any information. Inquiries should be directed to the contact(s) listed.

Division 01 -	General Requirements, Vehicular Access and Parking, Traffic Control, Temporary Barriers and Enclosures.
Division 03 -	Concrete, Concrete Reinforcing, Precast Structural Concrete.
Division 05 -	Metals, Structural Steel Framing, Structural Steel for Bridges, Steel Joist Framing, Steel Joist Girder Framing.
Division 07 -	Thermal and Moisture Protection, Expansion Control.
Division 09 -	Finishes, High-Performance Coatings.
Division 10 -	Specialties, Signage, Traffic Signage.
Division 26 -	Electrical, Exterior Lighting, Lighting Poles and Standards, Roadway Lighting.
Division 31 -	Earthwork, Embankments, Erosion and Sedimentation Controls, Slope Protection, Gabions, Riprap, Special Foundations and Load-Bearing Elements, Driven Piles.
Division 32 -	Exterior Improvements, Bases, Ballasts, and Paving, Flexible Paving, Rigid Paving, Fences and Gates, Retaining Walls.
Division 34 -	Transportation, Bridges.