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Main Street Bridge Closing For Stone Recovery

By SHELLEY HANSON 2 min read

WHEELING - The Main Street Bridge is expected to be closed today to allow for the recovery of large stones pushed off the span during a recent fatal crash.

Tony Clark, West Virginia Division of Highways District 6 engineer, said Tuesday that DOH workers are slated to use a crane to help lift the stones from below in Wheeling Creek. He estimated the closure would begin about 7 or 8 a.m. today.

The stones were displaced when a silver SUV crashed into the wall of the bridge last Thursday. Two people died in the crash; their names have not been released by the Wheeling Police Department, which is investigating the incident.

Wheeling Police Department spokesman Philip Stahl said Tuesday the police department still is awaiting positive identification of the accident victims from the West Virginia Medical Examiner's Office before releasing their names.

Stahl said the reason investigators are awaiting a positive identification from the state is because of the extent of the victims' injuries.

He added the cause of the crash still has not been determined.

"A final determination will take a while, as the final autopsy report - just one component of the investigation - will take several weeks," Stahl said.

Clark said though the stones were displaced, the bridge itself is fine.

"It's just the wall. We've evaluated it and it doesn't appear there was any damage harmful to the integrity of the structure," he said.

Clark said the bridge will likely be closed for the entire work day.

"We're closing it to recover those stones and try to come up with a plan to repair that wall," he said. "We will recover as many as we can. ... What we have to make up we will. It's a historic structure, so we will try to stick with the original material as much as we can."

Clark said the DOH's bridge department's crane will likely be used for the operation.

The bridge was closed for a few hours during the investigation, but reopened to traffic afterward. A section of sidewalk has been closed off with concrete barriers because of the missing stones.

The fatal accident happened about 6 p.m. Thursday. In addition to hitting the wall, the vehicle also struck a utility pole on the bridge and knocked it down.

The driver and passenger in the vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene.

Starting at /week.