Herron: $388,000 Washington Avenue Bridge Fix Will Buy City Time
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WHEELING -- City officials in Wheeling recently took emergency action to repair the Washington Avenue Bridge just to keep it open long enough until the state moves forward with its planned replacement.
Last week, Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron noted that reports from recent inspections by the state show that the bridge is in danger of "imminent failure" but stressed this does not mean "imminent collapse."
The Washington Avenue Bridge has been slated for replacement, but the state has not yet moved ahead with design work, let alone scheduled construction for it. The deteriorating bridge is a heavily traveled main traffic artery connecting National Road to Interstate 70 and WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital. Its deteriorating condition has led to a weight limit reduction in recent years, with the maximum allowable vehicle now down to 5 tons.
The West Virginia Division of Highways made its most recent inspection of the Washington Avenue Bridge this fall, and the examination showed the need for emergency action, officials said.
"With the inspection over fall, it was in imminent danger of failure," Herron reported to members of Wheeling City Council last week. "The bridge is not going to collapse - otherwise, we would have closed it. However, the way the bridge is designed, there are areas that need to be re-welded so the bridge doesn't drop a little bit."
If the bridge were to fail and "drop," then the bridge would have to be closed for an extended period of time, Herron stressed.
"So these repairs can be made hopefully quickly, and alleviate the deterioration that has occurred on the piers -- and buy time for the bridge to ultimately be replaced," he said.
The city manager noted that the span currently is still travel-worthy despite the deterioration, and in fact, much of the bridge remains solid and fully functional.
"There are parts of this bridge that are in very, very good condition," he said. "But the way it is designed -- which is a very unique design where it's cantilever and part of the bridge actually floats on piers -- has deteriorated to the point where if those repairs are made, it will extend the life of the bridge, but we need to make those immediately."
If the repairs are not made soon, however, the window to implement the temporary fix may soon close -- and the bridge itself would close in that case.
"Because if there is any even a minor failure of the spans, then the bridge would be closed until the bridge is replaced, which could be for years," Herron said, noting that the replacement is funded but has not been scheduled by the state yet.
City council last week took emergency action to hire Quality Steel Erecting Inc. of St. Clairsville to perform the emergency repairs. Herron explained that because of the nature of the situation, the public bidding process could be waived. The contract to fix the bridge is in the amount of $386,172, which is being paid with money from the city's Project Fund.
"The contractor that was provided came as a recommendation to us -- not as a recommendation for that contract, but a recommendation as a contractor who was qualified and who could do the work quickly and be on site -- from the West Virginia DOH Engineering Department," Herron explained. "The bridge is in need of emergency repairs now. It's not in imminent danger of collapse, but it is in imminent danger of making some shifts that would require the bridge to be closed for an extended period of time."
Last year, officials reviewed estimates for the overall, long-term replacement of the Washington Avenue Bridge. The city had applied through the "orphan road and bridge program" -- what was formerly known as the off-system bridge program -- for funding to replace the span. The state has agreed to pick up 80% of the overall cost of the replacement, while the city will pay for the remaining 20%.
"The DOH has not been able to provide us with an estimated date as to when that replacement would occur, so these improvements are necessary to ensure that the bridge remains a viable and open bridge for the next few years while the DOH is putting together their project, which is about a $7.8 million project," Herron said.
Officials did not provide an estimated timeline as to when the repairs would be completed, but work is expected to begin as soon as possible. City leaders noted that much of Wheeling's infrastructure has served the community well for many decades, but unfortunately, it eventually begins to deteriorate.
"One of the biggest challenges we face as a city is our aging and declining infrastructure," Ward 5 Councilman Ty Thorngate said. "The Washington Avenue Bridge was constructed in 1947 and has been rapidly deteriorating. It is nearing the end of its shelf life."
Thorngate noted that the state's original plan for the span was to place weight restrictions on the bridge in 2019, with the hope of extending the bridge's lifespan until the Interstate 70 bridge project was completed. Then the state could focus on the Washington Avenue Bridge.
"The recommended repairs will keep the bridge open for use by pedestrians and vehicles, and allow residents to safely travel through Washington Avenue and Woodsdale until the bridge's replacement -- hopefully late next year or early 2023," Thorngate said.