The Division of Highways will open bids on March 1 for construction of the Blennerhassett Island Bridge, Gov. Bob Wise said Monday.
A joint venture between West Virginia and Ohio Department of Transportation, the estimated $100 million bridge will be a tied arch, a structure chosen from four designs as the most economical and least intrusive on the environment of Blennerhassett Island. West Virginia's share of the cost will be $65 million, Wise said.
The weathering steel bridge will pass over the western end of the island and cross the main navigational and secondary channel of the Ohio River on concrete piers about 69 feet above the Ohio River.
The bridge will stretch about 4,009 feet from abutment to abutment and provide for travel lanes with shoulders wide enogh to serve traffic during emergencies or future maintenance work, said the Division of Highways.
The eight-span bridge will stretch from W.Va. 892 at Washington to Ohio 618 at Porterfield. An 880-foot tied arch will be built over the main chanel of the Ohio River.
Posted with permission from The Parkersburg News & Sentinel
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