photo by: Warren Scott

Drivers soon will be able to cross the Ohio River from Wellsburg or Brilliant, with a 1,800-foot long bridge slated to open to traffic on Thursday, following a day-long celebration Wednesday that will include music, food and a ribbon cutting by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice.

WELLSBURG — The West Virginia Division of Highways has announced the new Ohio River bridge will be open for traffic on Thursday, following a day-long celebration Wednesday that will include food, music and a ribbon-cutting involving Gov. Jim Justice and others.

Working with the state highway officials and others, the Wellsburg Chamber of Commerce has arranged many opportunities for the public to get a close look at the span, which will link W.Va. 2 just south of Wellsburg to the intersection of Third and Cleaver streets in Brilliant.

Ground was broken for the $131 million project on July 10, 2018, with a highlight being the transport of its 830-foot main span down the river from its construction site near the Smith Oil station on April 26, 2021.

Chamber President Dan Otto said anyone who would like to be among the first to run or walk across the 1,800-foot bridge is encouraged to be there at 8 a.m.

Otto said the run will be very informal and is intended only to give community members a rare opportunity to cross it on foot.

The bridge will include a bicycle lane leading to the Brooke County Pioneer Trail, but that’s not slated for completion until later this year.

Otto added golf carts will be available, thanks to Brooke Hills Park, for senior citizens or handicapped spectators who are not able to walk the span.

At 10:30 a.m., an estimated 150 classic cars will be displayed on the bridge through the efforts of the Osiris Shrine Car Club and Northern Panhandle Region Antique Automobile Club of America. The vehicles are scheduled to enter the span from Brilliant.

Otto said so many vehicles are expected, space has been designated in Brilliant for any that won’t fit on the bridge with the help of the Wells Township Trustees.

Brooke County Commissioner A.J. Thomas said the car cruise is being held in memory of Sue Simonetti, who, as mayor of Wellsburg, was a strong proponent of the bridge.

“There have been many people involved over the years in pushing for a new Ohio River bridge, but Simonetti was certainly a driving force in getting this built,” said Thomas.

He noted Simonetti often said she looked forward to dancing on the bridge when it opened, but she died from cancer in 2021. She had worked to fight the disease through her involvement with the American Cancer Society.

A flag procession by members of the Osiris Shrine Legion of Honor and Veterans of Foreign Wars will follow at 10:50 a.m.

The marching bands of Brooke and Buckeye Local high schools are slated to perform at 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively.

The chamber also has arranged for local bands Poor Man’s Heaven and The Next to perform on the bridge at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, while a disc jockey from radio station WCDK-FM and several food trucks will be on hand through the day.

The festivities are slated to conclude with a short parade on the span at 6 p.m. starting at Third Street and ending at its Wellsburg side.

Otto said the procession will include vehicles of the Osiris Shrine, and he acknowledged former state Potentate Jeff Hawkins for his help in arranging some aspects of the event.

Brooke County Sheriff Rich Beatty said state Route 2 will remain open through the day, but drivers should prepare for some delays.

He noted no parking will be available along the highway near the bridge, so the Wellsburg chamber has arranged for shuttles to transport people from parking areas in Beech Bottom and Wellsburg.

The chamber has announced the Weirton Transit Corp. and Brooke County Schools have agreed to provide shuttles for spectators from the Beech Bottom Industrial Park on Route 2 in Beech Bottom and from parking areas near the Dollar General store and Brownlee Lumber between Seventh and Ninth streets in Wellsburg.

A limited number of parking spaces will be available along Third Street in Brilliant.

To commemorate the event, the Wellsburg chamber is selling copies of a special coin.

Designed by Ashley Otto, Dan’s wife, the coin features a silhouette of the bridge against a starlit sky, the names of Wellsburg and Brilliant and the year.

Otto said the scene was inspired by her own view of the span at dusk.

The other side features the states of Ohio and West Virginia linked by the bridge and reads, “Apud deum omnia possibilia sunt,” the Latin version of Ohio’s state motto, “With God all things are possible,” and West Virginia’s state motto, “Montani Semper Liberi,” which means “Mountaineers are always free.”

Each is $20 and can be ordered by e-mailing the chamber at wellsburgchamber@gmail.com.

Otto said plans for the event have been in the works for several months and have been a challenge because the completion date wasn’t certain for some time.

But he added he’s been impressed by the cooperation among officials on both sides of the river, noting leaders of Wellsburg and Beech Bottom, the Wells Township Trustees and the sheriff’s departments from Brooke and Jefferson counties are among those who met with them to make plans.

“I can’t believe how people came together here,” Otto said, adding, “It’s been a challenge and fun and really, an honor.”