by Kate Shunney
The West Virginia Division of Highways (DOH) will soon begin work building a replacement bridge along Winchester Grade Road (Route 13) at North Stotler’s Crossroads. A temporary signal light is already in place to manage traffic during the work. The one-lane bridge is located 8.8 miles south on Winchester Grade Road and was built in 1916.
A new steel bridge with concrete decking and parapet walls will be built slightly upstream of the existing bridge, said highway officials.
The replacement bridge will be 85 feet long and 30.5 feet wide, allowing for two 11-foot driving lanes, said Ryan Arnold, area engineer for the West Virginia Division of Highways. The current bridge is 14 feet wide.
Contractor ORDERS Construction of St. Alban’s, W.Va. will do the work. The company specializes in bridge construction in West Virginia and surrounding states.
ORDERS won the contract to build the new bridge with a bid of $1.57 million. Bridge work is to be completed by September 30, 2020.
Arnold said drivers will continue to use the current bridge while the new structure is put in place. Traffic will then shift to the new bridge next fall.
The ends of the parapet walls on the existing bridge have been broken for some time. The structure has been on the list of deficient bridges in Morgan County in need of replacement for several years.
A temporary traffic signal is in place on Route 13 where a new bridge will be built to replace a failing one-lane bridge.
