West Virginia Press Association
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A project to replace a low water crossing in Pendleton County with a new bridge is among 19 construction projects included in a bid letting conducted by the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) on Tuesday, February 13, 2024.
The project will be paid for with bond funding through Gov. Jim Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program.
The project will replace a low water crossing over Mill Run on Greenawalt Gap Road in Pendleton County with a 50-foot bridge.
The current low water crossing partially washed out in 2021. WVDOH work crews made repairs to reopen Greenawalt Gap Road, but WVDOH District 8 Engineer Tommy Collins, P.E., said the crossing really needed to be replaced. The new bridge will be better for the environment than the low-water crossing, allow better water flow on Mill Run, and provide a better long-term transportation solution for local residents.
The Tuesday, February 13 bid letting also includes a project to widen the Interstate 77 interchange with US 50 in Parkersburg to six lanes.
Projects on the February 13 bid letting include:
- Howell Hollow Bridge replacement. (Randolph County)
- Blue Jay Bridge cleaning and painting. (Mineral County)
- Clarence Martin Jr. Memorial Bridge cleaning and painting. (Berkeley County)
- East Baltimore Street plus six ADA ramps. (Marshall, Ohio, and Wetzel counties)
- South Wheeling plus one ADA ramps. (Ohio County)
- Rum Creek slide repair. (Logan County)
- Wendell “Dell” Hester Memorial Bridge deck overlay. (Hardy County)
- US 50 paving, Ellenboro to Pennsboro. (Ritchie County)
- US 60 Midland Trail traffic signals. (Cabell County)
- Eastwood Lane Bridge replacement. (Boone County)
- John G. Chernenko Bridge renovation. (Brooke County)
- US Army Cpl. F. Lee Noell Memorial Bridge renovation. (Logan County)
- Jefferson Avenue turn lane and traffic signal, Charles Town. (Jefferson County)
- District 1 road striping. (Boone, Clay, Kanawha, and Mason counties)
- US 50 interchange widening. (Wood County)
- Petersburg River Park hiking and biking trail. (Grant County)
- Malden Overpass Bridge renovation, US 60. (Kanawha County)
- Mary Draper Ingles Bridge cleaning and painting, Interstate 64. (Summers County)
- Greenawalt Gap Bridge replacement. (Pendleton County)
Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer’s Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer’s Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources, and whether sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed, and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.
When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.com and handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.