Blennerhassett Bridge to be done by fall
By Evan Bevins, Staff Writer
03/07/07 - PARKERSBURG – The end of years of planning, construction, digging and detours is in sight.
The Ohio River-spanning Blennerhassett Bridge is the last remaining Corridor D project, said Brent Walker, assistant director of the State Department of Transportation.
"All the road sections are drivable in West Virginia," Walker said. "The bridge will open in the fall. That will finish Corridor D."
At $119.9 Million, the bridge project is the largest single highway contract in West Virginia history.
From Interstate 77 to the bridge, 11 miles of paved road has been built since construction began on the corridor in 2000.
The connection to U.S. 50 in Ohio, in the Porterfield area is on pace to be completed at the same time as the bridge, said Stephanie Filson, public information officer for the Ohio Department of Transportation's District 10.
"One is really of little use without the other," she said.
The smooth progress of the work has been phenomenal for a project of that size, Filson said.
"For the most part, that project's moved forward without a hitch," she said.
U.S. 50 was one of 23 high-speed transportation corridors proposed by the Appalachian Regional Commission in 1965, with an eye toward linking major urban centers on the West Coast with points in the Mid-west and providing economic development opportunities in northwestern West Virginia and southeastern Ohio.
For years, U.S. 50 was four lanes until it reached Parkersburg, where motorists would travel through the city on more narrow streets before the road expanded again in Ohio. Now most of Corridor D goes around Parkersburg, diverting heavy truck traffic and providing economic development potential that has local leaders excited.
"The consensus is that by 2010 there'll be about 22 million cars a year (traveling) Corridor D," Parkersburg Mayor Bob Newell said.
Areas the completed corridor will spotlight include downtown Parkersburg and Fort Boreman Hill, Newell said.
"I really don't feel that the corridor will cause anything to bypass Parkersburg," he said.
With an exit from U.S. 50 near the Fifth Street Bridge, that area is poised to become the new gateway to downtown, Newell said. That's why the city plans to revamp Fifth Street with decorative lighting, landscaping, furnishings and sidewalk accents from the Fifth Street Bridge, similar to what was done on Market Street in recent years.
Wood County's Fort Boreman Historical Park opened in 2006. The former site of a Civil War fort, the park is located on a hill, adjacent to the new U.S. 50 route, that also boasts plenty of developable land.
"If one anchor store would locate there, then others would follow," Newell said.
The state put in a roadway to the hill and water utilities are already in place. The city is ready to set up sewer service if needed, Newell said.
"We've made it clear to all the developers that come to us…that we will run utilities there," he said.
Wood County Commission President Bob Tebay said he expects the development to come once the bridge opens. The commission plans to ask the state to put up additional signage touting the park at the exits.
"I think the park's going to help pull some people off of Corridor D," Tebay said. "Maybe (they will) enjoy it enough that they want to stop, spend the night, visit Blennerhassett Island and lean more about the community here."
Tebay conceded some Seventh Street business might see a decrease in traffic, but he believes the new road will bring more benefits than disadvantages.
Washington County Commissioner Larry Steinel said he expects the corridor to generate development on the Ohio side, but it's hard to predict how much.
"Past history has proven that when you have this type of project, it does open up other avenues of economic development," he said, "It's got to be good."
The commission is looking for funds in the upcoming budget to have a professional study done of the area, Steinel said. The county does not want to invest too much or too little in the area, he said.
Posted with permission from The Parkersburg News & Sentinel
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