CHARLESTON — Projects to replace three bridges are among 25 included in a bid-letting held by the West Virginia Division of Highways this week.
The WVDOH is reviewing the bids and hopes to award the contracts for these projects soon.
Two projects will be coming to Morgantown — one on the Pleasant Street bridge; the other on Patteson Drive.
Bridges to be replaced are in McDowell, Mingo and Braxton counties.
Replacement of the Coalwood Bridge in McDowell County will be paid for with funding from Gov. Jim Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program.
When Justice created Roads to Prosperity in 2017, the program specifically set aside funding to address not only major bridge projects like the renovation or rebuilding of 26 sets of bridges on Interstate 70 around Wheeling, but also dozens of smaller bridges around the state that might otherwise have waited years for replacement.
The Coalwood Bridge is only about 25 feet long but carries about 1,500 vehicles a day on W.Va. 16 across Perry Camp Branch. Closing the bridge would create a 34-mile detour for drivers.
The WVDOH also accepted bids to replace the Caney Branch Bridge in Mingo County and the Burnsville T-Beam Bridge in Braxton County.
The bid-letting included these area projects:
- Pleasant Street streetscape in Monongalia County
- Patteson Drive, rectangular rapid flashing beacon, Monongalia County
- Shinnston downtown sidewalks, Harrison County
- Thomas to Pierce paving, Tucker County
- District 4 guardrail replacements.
Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer’s Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer’s Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources, and whether sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed, and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.
With work continuing in all 55 counties across the state, the West Virginia Division of Highways and the West Virginia Department of Transportation remind the public of the importance of keeping everyone safe in work zones by keeping “Heads up; phones down!”
