By Rick Steelhammer
For HDMedia
Triton Construction of St. Albans has been awarded a $74.5 million contract to complete the rehabilitation of one of the state’s most heavily used highway structures, Charleston’s 51-year-old Fort Hill Interstate 64 bridge, the state Department of Transportation announced on Tuesday.
Work on the six-lane span, which carries about 100,000 vehicles across the Kanawha River each day, is expected to begin this fall and be completed by May 2028. The bridge serves both Charleston commuter traffic and long-range travelers on I-64, which extends from the St. Louis, Missouri, suburbs to Chesapeake, Virginia.
“The WVDOT considers the I-64 Fort Hill Bridge Rehabilitation Project the top priority for the Charleston area and is working closely with our project partners to minimize the impact to the traveling public while also providing a safe work zone for the contractor,” said state Transportation Secretary Todd Rumbaugh.
Drivers can expect to see traffic pattern changes to accommodate construction being implemented this fall, starting with single lane closures during overnight and weekend hours. More significant travel pattern changes are not expected until early 2027.
The rehabilitation project will include replacement of the bridge deck and barrier walls on the steel structure and its four access ramps, repairs to structural steel on the bridge’s arch and the repair and painting of concrete support piers.
Rumbaugh said his agency has been in contact with Charleston area first responders to help plan and coordinate access for emergency services personnel during construction.
The deck of the Fort Hill Bridge, also known as the Eugene A. Carter Memorial Bridge, has had overlays replaced over the years, but its entire deck has never been replaced. Deck patching and the installation of a new roadway surface have taken place in recent years, and in 2010, minor structural repairs took place on the span, after which it was painted in its current distinctive blue color.
Up-to-date details about the project and its anticipated construction schedule are available at the project’s website at i64forthillbridge.com.
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