Back to Work on the Stone Bridge in Elm Grove
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WHEELING -- Crews with Clearwater Construction are moving steadily forward with renovations to the historic Stone Bridge in Elm Grove, after flash flooding there June 30 forced delays.
Workers from the Mercer, Pennsylvania, company are scouring away at the substructure of the bridge -- which has stood there for more than two centuries -- while resurfacing and renovating its piers. The overall project continues to stay on schedule, even though work halted for nearly a week in early July due to flooding, according to West Virginia Division of Highways Area Engineer Mike Witherow.
The completion date for the $3.8 million project remains set for Oct. 21, 2022.
"We did lose a little bit of time with the high water event with the heavy storm," Witherow said. "We had clean-ups and stuff and had to redo some work, but it had no impact on the overall schedule of the project."
While the historic structure wasn't damaged during the flood, the contractor had to wait for the Wheeling Creek's water level to recede before making repairs to the cofferdam below and surrounding structure. Clearwater crews recently repositioned concrete sections of the cofferdam around the base of the bridge, as several segments of the dam were moved downstream from the base of the structure during the flooding.
Crews were able to move the bulk of their construction equipment and supplies to higher ground near the bridge.
The bridge, built in 1817, was originally expected to close to traffic in early June. Yet that date was postponed until next spring due to traffic concerns surrounding the ongoing I-70 Bridges Project. In addition to the substructure, renovations to the bridge will eventually include resurfacing the roadway and repairing the sidewalks.
Pioneer Col. Moses Shepherd built the bridge as part of National Road. The Stone Bridge, also known as Monument Place Bridge, is the oldest bridge in the state of West Virginia. The Stone Bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on Aug. 21, 1981.
Concrete sidewalks were added to the bridge in 1931, and in 1958, a concrete veneer was added to the structure. Since then, parts of the veneer have fallen off, revealing the stone masonry underneath.