About 50,000 cars and trucks use the Interstate 64 bridges over W.Va. 10 every day. That's more than 2,000 an hour, or about 35 every minute. What will happen at the bridges in the next two years could be a nightmare if the West Virginia Division of Highways doesn't plan properly and if travelers don't use common sense.
The bridges over Route 10 were built in 1963 and have reached the end of their service life, said Rob Pennington, director of program planning and administration for the West Virginia Division of Highways. "They are still structurally sound, but the money we put into maintaining these structures provides less and less of a benefit."
So the DOH is replacing them, just as it has replaced other I-64 bridges in this area as it works to turn I-64 into a six-lane road from Huntington to Charleston.
The $20 million-$25 million project will reduce traffic on the interstate to only one lane each direction at times and won't be completed for about two years.
The bridges will be replaced in three phases. Pier foundations and columns will be built for the new bridges during the first phase, which is expected to start in December or January. The first phase of work will not affect traffic on I-64, but there will be periodic lane reductions on W.Va. 10.
The second phase will begin in April 2008. All traffic on I-64 will be shifted to the existing eastbound bridge so crews can demolish the westbound bridge and start building a new one. Traffic will be reduced to one lane each direction on the eastbound bridge.
To prevent traffic from backing up, the approach to the bridge from both directions will include an exit-only lane for the exit ramps.
During the third phase of construction, traffic on I-64 will be shifted to the new westbound bridge so crews can demolish the old eastbound bridge and start building a new one. The new westbound bridge will be wide enough to carry two lanes of traffic going each direction.
It's great that I-64 is being upgraded. Work is moving slowly, but that's to be expected on a large, expensive project in a state with limited funds for highway construction.
The DOH should do as much advance work as possible in alerting the public to what will happen at the bridges and when. This ranges from lighted signs miles in advance of the interchange to regular communication with news media.
People in this area tend to ignore speed limits on I-64. That will have to change. The bridge work is being done in a curve, making the work area even more hazardous. An increased law enforcement presence in the work area is a must.
And local motorists should do what they can to avoid the work area. That means finding alternate routes to work or school. With Huntington High School being near the interchange, drivers will have to use extra planning and extra patience.