One side of a bridge collapsed Tuesday in East View, causing officials to close Philippi Pike in order to transfer traffic to the other side of the bridge, which has been newly constructed.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — The West Virginia Division of Highways closed Philippi Pike in front of JB’s Exotic Show Bar in East View due to a partial bridge collapse Tuesday.
The complete road closure will be until midnight, according to DOH project engineer Ron Cork, who was on site.
Traffic will be directed onto the new portion of the bridge that has already been constructed.
“It collapsed earlier today. A truck just got across when a slab gave away. We don’t know the cause at this point. It could have been an overweight vehicle. There will be an investigation by the DOH,” he said.
Alternate routes are Interstate 79 and U.S. 50. Motorists are advised to plan ahead and allow additional time for their commute.
“The contractor will work diligently to get traffic flowing on the new side of the bridge as soon as possible,” Cork said.
The bridge is one of four spans being replaced on Philippi Pike by Triton Construction of St. Albans.
The cost of the project is $2,264,600. The bridges are being constructed in half phases. The contractor has completed one half of the first two bridges, Nelson has said.
They will move to the other side of those two next, he has said.
The remaining two bridges are the second stage. They will be constructed the same way, Nelson had said.
They are scheduled to start the last two spans in early 2017 and have a completion date in January 2018.
Staff writer Darlene J. Swiger can be reached at (304) 626-1403 or [email protected]