Demolition of the Wheeling Inn in downtown Wheeling, W. Va., has been completed, and the city's nearby $17.9 million suspension bridge renovation project wrapped up late last year, but an official determination still looms about the future use of the historic bridge.
Originally designed and built in 1849, the Wheeling Suspension Bridge is listed by the Library of Congress as the first bridge built to cross the Ohio River, as well as "perhaps the most important extant antebellum civil engineering structure in North America" and the "oldest vehicular suspension bridge still in operation in the world."
However, the 1,010-ft.-long structure has not been open to vehicular traffic since 2019 after an oversized vehicle damaged it in September of that year.
The incident forced the latest in what had been a series of temporary closures because of similar weight limit violations that prompted structural concerns. The future of the bridge's use has remained up in the air ever since, the Wheeling Intelligencer & News Register reported Jan. 25.
In addition, West Virginia Department of Highways (DOH) officials have said that weight limits will be just one of several factors that will be taken into consideration in whether to reopen the bridge.
The state awarded a $17.9 million contract to Advantage Steel & Construction in Saxonburg, Pa., in 2021 to conduct a rehabilitation project focusing on the span's superstructure and substructure, as well as painting it, adding lights, and upgrading its anchorage and other bridge components.
WVDOH had indicated that information gathered during the major upgrade would reveal whether the bridge could reopen to vehicular traffic again in the future or if the landmark would instead be transformed into a multimillion-dollar pedestrian footbridge and historic showpiece over the Ohio River.
The bridge remained closed during those renovations, which were originally set to be completed in 2023. However, supply chain issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic reportedly contributed to delays in the job's completion until 2024.
Around the time the rehab project was finished, West Virginia's construction of the $35 million Downtown Streetscape Project in Wheeling brought new traffic lights to the intersection at 10th and Main Streets, including lights for eastbound traffic coming from the bridge — a fact that some hopeful observers viewed as an indication that vehicular traffic would be returning to the span.
However, those hopes dwindled after West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) Secretary Jimmy Wriston hinted publicly that the days of vehicular traffic on the suspension bridge had "probably passed," although no official announcement had been made by state officials about the structure's future use.
Many Factors Will Determine Bridge's Fate
Late last year, WVDOH engineers indicated that the state planned to monitor the bridge while crews from Raze International, a demolition contractor from Shadyside, Ohio, removed the former Wheeling Inn, which sat adjacent to the area of the bridge's northeast anchorage.
WVDOH District 6 officials noted that load-related data was expected to be reviewed at the end of 2024, adding that the demolition of the former hotel at the time would require the nearby section of 10th Street to remain closed between the bridge and Main Street.
Now that the hotel demolition has been completed, though, the state still must consider the load rating analysis as well as other factors in order to make the final determination about the future of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge.
WVDOH officials recently indicated that the structural capability of handling vehicular traffic will be just one factor in the decision. They indicated, too, that the extent of future maintenance for its use — whether that will be for motor vehicles or pedestrians — will also be a factor. Related costs are also expected to influence the final decision.
Speaking on behalf of WVDOH District 6 engineers, Jake Flatley, a public information specialist for the department, told the Wheeling news source in the third week of January that the process to make that determination was expected to unfold in the coming weeks.
"CONSOR [Engineers], the consultant selected for the six-year inspection last year, was tasked with a load rating determination," he explained. "In order to perform the task, [CONSOR] had to perform an initial and in-depth, hands-on inspection of the structure. On top of that, this structure is quite a bit different from our modern bridges from an analysis standpoint."
Over the course of the past 175 years, the Wheeling Suspension Bridge has undergone several renovations as its age and the evolution of traffic from wagons to motor vehicles called for upgrades to the span.
According to Flatley, WVDOH's engineers and their consultants will be looking at all factors when determining the bridge's future use.
"The consultant will need to take into consideration the unique design, all modifications made to the structure over the years, and, most critically, the condition of its members," he added. "This [bridge] is quite old, and as such, some of [its] members have deteriorated. In addition to the load rating task, the consulting firm was tasked with determining what it would take to accommodate vehicle traffic again, as well as what it would take to maintain pedestrian traffic on the structure.
"Once this information is available, an informed decision on the future use of the structure will be made."
Bridge Also Important for Wheeling Island Residents
Wheeling City Councilman Ben Seidler, who represents the Ward 2 neighborhood of Wheeling Island, noted that the suspension bridge has for many decades served as an important connector to downtown Wheeling. Right now, the only direct point of entry and exit to Wheeling Island is off Interstate 70.
"Protecting our historic landmark from overweight vehicles is crucial, but the Wheeling Suspension Bridge serves as a vital point of egress for Wheeling Island residents, particularly during construction or emergencies," he clarified.
"Additionally, owning a street-legal side-by-side or scooter is becoming more and more attractive to people. However, these vehicles are not permitted on the interstate highway," Seidler continued. "The residents of Wheeling Island have been vocal about the pressing need to reopen this bridge to vehicular traffic, and I fully agree."
Regardless of its future use, the Wheeling Suspension Bridge is expected to be highlighted as a central focus of a new Wheeling Gateway Visitor and Heritage Center that is planned for the property where the Wheeling Inn once stood.
The Intelligencer & News Register noted that millions of dollars have already been secured for the proposed center's development, and once completed, it will be nestled among a number of other significant public and private investments to downtown Wheeling's main thoroughfare.
