Wellsburg Bridge Quality Assurance Management

The only existing crossing from West Virginia to Ohio was the Market Street Bridge, and it was past its design life. This presented some concerns: the old bridge couldn’t be updated to modern standards, and weight limits prevented it from withstanding the weight of commercial trucks. But most importantly, as the only river crossing in the metropolitan area, emergency vehicle response times were unacceptable.

Our job? Providing quality assurance management services on behalf of the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH). The $143 million design-build project includes a new major Ohio River crossing—a three-lane bridge with a shared use path from Wellsburg, West Virginia to Brilliant, Ohio. The main bridge will be an 830-foot (254-metre) network tied arch spanning the Ohio River as well as crossing both the Norfolk Southern and Wheeling & Lake Erie railroads.

The project also includes an additional bridge over Ohio Route 7 as well as three retaining walls on West Virginia Route 2. The main bridge has a 100-year design life, and we provided coordination, collaboration, and confidentiality throughout the process, helping guide WVDOH through a fair procurement. We’re also responsible for environmental review, coordination, and monitoring. During construction, we’ve been performing quality assurance inspection services as well as overseeing the overall construction management and contract administration for the WVDOH.

With the new river crossing in place, residents will be able to move east to west with ease, avoid areas plagued by rockslides, and emergency response times will be decreased for the people who need help most.