Monument Place Bridge Closure Set For April 15
Derek Redd Trending
The Monument Place Bridge In Elm Grove will close for most of the rest of the year starting April 15. Yet motorists in that area won't need to worry about that bridge and the Kruger Street Bridge shutting down at the same time. Kruger Street is scheduled to open before Monument Place closes down.
A previous timeline had Kruger Street closed until May 17, with Monument Place Bridge closing May 20. However, Charlie Reynolds, district manager over District 6 for the West Virginia Division of Highways, said the work was completed so quickly on the Kruger Street Bridge that it moved up the timeline on both bridges.
"We were lucky enough that they were finishing up ahead of schedule," Reynolds said. "It was the great weather we've been having. They showed up on time, the contractor, and they've been working every day since, and we've been able to get it done."
The plan is for the Kruger Street Bridge to reopen April 14. Monument Place Bridge is scheduled to reopen Nov. 29.
The official alternate routes for the Monument Place Bridge are to use U.S. 40 (National Road) to Interstate 70 eastbound and westbound to Exit 2B at Washington Avenue then Exit 4 to Interstate 70.
Reshuffling of the schedules was necessary earlier this month as the original timelines for the bridge closures had both Monument Place and Kruger Street closed at the same time. Residents and city officials were worried that both bridges being closed would put an undue burden on a five-point intersection on Bethlehem Boulevard (W.Va. 88).
Monument Place Bridge, also known as the Stone Arch Bridge, was completed in 1817 and is the oldest extant bridge in West Virginia. The structure is at a critical period and in need of repair, according to DOH officials.
The bridge is part of National Road and is the main artery through Elm Grove between the areas of Elm Terrace and businesses like McDonalds and businesses on the other side of the bridge like Patsy's Pizza and Wesbanco's Elm Grove Branch.