Several construction projects throughout West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle were among the 21 that recently were awarded by the West Virginia Division of Highways.

The largest of that group was to Kelly Paving for a mine maintenance project along Interstate 70 in Ohio County. Kelly Paving’s winning bid for that project was $8,222,620. Tunnel Ridge Mining has been performing longwall mining projects near the West Virginia-Pennsylvania border for the last several years.

Other Northern Panhandle projects awarded were:

– NLS Paving Inc. on a paving project on Big Wheeling Creek in Marshall County, with a bid of $1,735,627.13.

– Davis H. Elliot Construction Company Inc. on a traffic signal project in Wellsburg in Brooke County, with a bid of $747,500.40.

– Kelly Paving Inc. on a paving project from Hickman Run Road to Greenwood Road in Tyler County, with a bid of $1,530,164.99.

Two bridge replacement projects were among those awarded throughout the state. Rock Forge Bridge Company was awarded a contract for $2,999,002.55 to replace the Caney Branch Bridge in Mingo County. The bridge currently carries a three-ton weight restriction and would leave local residents stranded if not replaced. SMH Construction Company Inc. was awarded a contract for $2,178,679.44 to replace the Burnsville T-Beam Bridge in Braxton County. The bridge, built in 1929, was closed to traffic in 2019 due to its deteriorated condition.

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.

When the WVDOH has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.com and handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.