File Photo by Scott McCloskey

WHEELING — The section of eastbound Interstate 70 in Wheeling closed for months near Wheeling Tunnel will officially reopen Friday.

The West Virginia Departmaent of Transportation announced that reopening Wednesday afternoon. That will restore direct access from the interstate to Wheeling Hospital, which had been disrupted by the bridge closure, as well as save drivers from heading to Woodsdale and Elm Grove from downtown via detour.

Interstate 70 has been closed in the area of the Fulton Bridge since early 2021 as part of the I-70 Bridges project. In that section, Fulton Bridge needed to be completely demolished and rebuilt.

The news first broke during an Ohio County Commission meeting last week when county Emergency Management Director Lou Vargo informed those in attendance that the span of I-70 should be back online by Friday. The DOT confirmed that Wednesday.

While that section reopens, another part will close. The bridge and ramp at Exit 1A, which connects the Fort Henry Bridge with downtown Wheeling, will close on Monday, Oct. 4 for about 120 days. Drivers used to taking Exit 1A off Interstate 70 East will instead take Exit 1B to 16th Street during the closure.

Both bridge projects are part of a massive $215 million WVDOT project to replace or rehabilitate 26 bridges along Interstate 70 between the Ohio state line and Elm Grove.