FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 28, 2022
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Gov. Jim Justice, WVDOH celebrate opening of westbound lanes on new Nitro WWI Memorial Bridge
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Gov. Jim Justice, WVDOH celebrate opening of westbound lanes on new Nitro WWI Memorial Bridge
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CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice today announced the opening of the new Nitro WWI Memorial Bridge on Interstate 64.
The bridge, being built alongside the Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge, carries I-64 over the Kanawha River between the Nitro and St. Albans exits.
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"Today is a monumental day," Gov. Justice said. "This project has not been in the works forever, ever, ever, and a day. There have been a lot of comments about how we've moved quickly, how our great workers have done their jobs, and how all the great work our workers for Department of Highways do everyday."
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The new bridge, 1,425 feet in length, was built to alleviate a bad bottleneck on one of the busiest sections of I-64. The heavily traveled Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge carries approximately 60,000 vehicles a day.
The new span is part of a $224 million project to widen I-64 to six lanes between Nitro and the Scott Depot exit. The renovation is paid for through Gov. Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program. The construction of the new bridge was a joint venture between Brayman and Trumbull.
Gov. Justice was the first to drive across the completed bridge under water cannons shot off by the Nitro and St. Albans fire departments. Everyone in attendance was able to drive the length of the bridge, as well.
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"This project has a big impact on the Kanawha Valley," Wriston said. "Thanks to Governor Justice's leadership and the Roads to Prosperity program, we, along with our contracting partners, are able to see this truly amazing project come to fruition. This project is much needed and will have an impact on the entire region. It will improve safety for drivers and help our growing economy."
Randy Damron from the Department of Transportation, Steve Muck the CEO of Brayman Construction, representatives for Senator Joe Manchin and Senator Shelly Moore Capito, and West Virginia State Senator Glenn Jeffries were all also part of today's ceremony.
"The reason we're here today is because of Gov. Justice's vision," Jeffries said. "I knew in 2017 that Roads to Prosperity was going to be a game-changer and it has been. Thank you, Governor Justice."
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Westbound traffic will immediately move onto the Nitro WWI Memorial Bridge beginning Saturday, Oct. 29, 2022. Within two weeks eastbound traffic will be switched onto the new bridge to allow the Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge to be demolished.
Once torn down, a new Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge will be built on the site of the old span, using a portion of the existing bridge piers as a base.
When completed, the new bridge will carry westbound traffic and the rebuilt Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge will carry eastbound traffic. Both bridges will be four lanes wide, to allow motorists to travel between the Nitro and St. Albans exits without having to enter continuous traffic lanes.
Construction on the rebuilt bridge is expected to be finished in the summer of 2024.
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The original Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge opened to traffic in 1962. It is named for Cpl. Donald Milton Legg, a steelworker who lost his life when he fell from the bridge during construction.
Over $1 billion worth of major infrastructure improvement projects, through Gov. Justice’s Roads To Prosperity program, have either been completed to date or are currently underway.
With work continuing in all 55 counties, the West Virginia Division of Highways and the West Virginia Department of Transportation remind the public of the importance of keeping everyone safe in work zones by keeping “Heads up; phones down!”
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