Even the sidewalk along the Philippi Covered Bridge is closed as construction continues.
PHILIPPI, W.Va. — Winter may have arrived, but it won’t halt renovation work on the historic Philippi Covered Bridge.
Work on the bridge across the Tygart Valley River will continue through the season, according to state Department of Transportation spokesman Brent Walker.
“We’re not going to cut back,” Walker said. “Certainly there could be some weather delays, but this not a project that we’re shutting down for the season.”
The bridge has been closed since the project began last summer.
“We’re about halfway through,” Walker said. “I think we have a scheduled completion of the first part of August. … What we’re doing is essentially just a complete overhaul of the bridge, a complete revamping. They are completing the west end of the bridge with new siding, well, really everything. We’re putting a fire protection system in. We’re removing and replacing all the electrical in that bridge.”
Once work on the west side of the bridge is completed, the crews will immediately start on the other side.
The project will cost over $2 million, Walker added.
The contractor, Orders Construction, also is doing work on the sidewalk beside the bridge and handrails.
The bridge is definitely an asset to Philippi, Mayor Jerry Mouser said, noting that the span attracts a lot of tourists.
“I’d say in excess of 5,000 people a year come to see that bridge…
