Drivers on Winchester Grade Road had clear passage over Sleepy Creek last Friday, September 18 as a new two-lane bridge opened after roughly nine months of construction.
Signal lights had been alternating vehicle traffic over a temporary one-lane bridge since January as the West Virginia Division of Highways removed the former 1925 Pallet Factory bridge and built a new structure in its place.
photo by Dale Heironimus
Concrete buttresses and decking now carry two lanes of vehicles over Sleepy Creek in the original bridge location.
Completion of the bridge comes nearly a year ahead of schedule. State highway officials originally estimated the bridge would take until August of 2027 to be open.
C. William Hetzer, Inc. was awarded a contract for $2.54 million in April of 2025 to replace the century-old single-lane bridge.
