A welcome sight was seen on Washington Avenue this week, one that will continue evolving — and continue making folks in the neighborhood happier.

Heavy machinery has been brought to the site of the Washington Ave. Bridge, and steel beams are coming with it. Those beams will be placed across Wheeling Creek in the next steps in replacing the bridge that has sorely needed repair for years.

The best news was nestled in the advisory the City of Wheeling sent out about the traffic snarls that could happen during the evenings as the materials are being transported. No, the good news isn’t the traffi snarls. It’s that the project is still on track to finish on time in October.

It has been months since the Washington Ave. Bridge was shut down for repairs, eliminating what has been an important traffic artery in that part of Wheeling. It’s the quickest path from National Road to WVU Medicine Wheeling Hospital, as well as Wheeling University and several shops and restaurants.

There were some worries in January, when the remaining framework of the bridge couldn’t hold the heavy equipment and it collapsed, injuring three people. Yet it seems that hasn’t affected the timetable at all. That’s a sigh of relief to everyone traversing that area of the Friendly City.

Now we just have to remain patient. We’ll have some sights to soothe us, as the installation of those beams will show us real progress in the bridge’s rebuilding. Soon, we’ll have that path open again — and we won’t have to worry about its sturdiness for years to come.