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There are still plenty of opportunities for Mountain State residents to vote for the West Virginia Division of Highways’ (WVDOH) Wellsburg Bridge project, one of 12 finalists from around the country vying for a national America’s Transportation Award, to be decided at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) annual meeting in Philadelphia in October.
 
West Virginia is up for both the Grand Prize and the People’s Choice Award, which is determined by public voting. Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, October 29, 2024, and residents can vote once every 24 hours.
 
West Virginia was nominated for the innovative Wellsburg Bridge project, one of three WVDOT projects to win regional America’s Transportation Awards at the Southeastern Association of State Highway Officials (SASHTO) Annual Meeting in August. The two additional West Virginia projects receiving that award included the Grant Street Bridge in Bluefield, and the US 340 Safety Stabilization project near Harper’s Ferry.

Construction of the 1,875-foot Wellsburg Bridge began in 2018. Flatiron Construction was awarded a contract for approximately $131 million to build the structure, which connects the communities of Wellsburg, West Virginia, and Brilliant, Ohio.
 
The main span of the bridge was built on the banks of the Ohio River. On Monday, April 26, 2021, the 4,100-ton main span was hefted onto two sets of barges, floated downstream to the bridge site, and slowly jacked up to rest on its support piers. The operation took more than 13 hours.