Photo courtesy of Troy Morgan of WVDOT
The bid amount on the project was $224,480,422, but the amount is currently $254,178,832.89 with change orders.
A West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) project involving the widening of Interstate 64 and major upgrades to the Nitro-St. Albans bridge is nearing completion. This is located between Nitro and Scott Depot, W. Va.
The prime contractor is Brayman–Trumbull, a Joint Venture. Funding is mostly from WV Roads to Prosperity Bonds, with some FHWA Build Grant funding, as well.
Photo courtesy of Troy Morgan of WVDOT
Design for the design-build project started in December 2019. Field work began in December 2020 and work is currently on schedule with completion expected in the fall 2024.
The bid amount was $224,480,422, but the amount is currently $254,178,832.89 with change orders.
According to Jason Hamilton, regional construction engineer, the project upgrades I-64 from four to six lanes between Exit 40 (Scott Depot, U.S. 35) to Exit 45 (Nitro, WV25).
This includes rubblization of the original concrete pavement. To widen the existing roadway, multiple structures needed to be upgraded, as well.
Hamilton reported that, going from west to east, this includes the following work:
- The I-64 overpass bridge pair at Rocky Step (CR29) is being replaced with a new overpass bridge pair;
- I-64 overpass bridge pair at McCloud Road (CR33/5) is being replaced with an underpass structure;
- The Bills Creek (CR44) two span bridge over I-64 has been replaced with a new single-span bridge over I-64;
- The St. Albans interchange (exit 44) two-span bridge has been replaced with two new bridges alleviating I-64 WB entrance and exit traffic interaction, the I-64 WB entrance bridge passes over top of the I-64 WB exit bridge;
- A new slab-on-girder bridge is being constructed over the Kanawha River to the north (downstream) of the existing Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge, a truss bridge built with the original I-64 system. The new bridge will carry four lanes of I-64 WB traffic. Portions of the Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge's piers will be reused for a new four-lane bridge carrying I-64 EB traffic. The four lanes will consist of three continuous interstate lanes and a fourth auxiliary lane that connects Exit 44 to Exit 45.
- I-64 overpass bridge pair near the Nitro interchange (Exit 45, WV25) will be replaced with a new overpass bridge pair.
According to Hamilton, one of the main challenges with the project is coordination with other agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, two railroads and multiple utilities.
"The project will result in I-64 being six lanes from Teays Valley [Exit 39] to Charleston, alleviating heavy traffic congestion," he said.
Photo courtesy of Troy Morgan of WVDOT
Hamilton also reported that the phasing of the work is a unique aspect of the project, since it was accomplished while attempting to minimize impacts to interstate users.
"The contract required two 11-foot lanes to remain open," he said. "That means traffic must be shifted around within the existing 4-foot shoulder, two 12-foot lanes, and 10-foot shoulder to provide room to build."
According to WVDOT, the original Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge opened to traffic in 1962. It was named for Cpl. Donald Milton Legg, a steelworker who lost his life when he fell from the bridge during construction.
In October 2022, Gov. Jim Justice announced the opening of the westbound World War I Memorial Bridge just north of the old Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge. Eastbound and westbound traffic was shifted onto the new bridge to allow demolition of the old span.
The main span of the old Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge was gently lowered onto a barge in December 2022 as contractors began disassembling the old structure. The bridge had served the public for 60 years.
On Sept. 6, 2023, Brayman-Trumbull lifted the 314-ft. main span of the new Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge into position, completing the bridge superstructure from one side of the Kanawha River to the other.
Major subcontractors for the project include HDR Inc. for design; West Virginia Paving for supply and laydown of HMA; Beeghly Tree LLC for E&S items; Highway Safety Inc. for traffic control devices and pavement markings; Martin Reinforcing for rebar work; North Suburban Tree for clearing and grubbing; P&G Construction Company for stay-in-place deck forms, shear studs, approach slabs and E&S Items; Pritchard Signal & Light for roadway lighting, high mast towers and signal work; Allen Stone Company for piling and drilled shafts; Shepaul Enterprises for guardrail items; MP Dory Co. for extruded panel signs and overhead structures; Virginia Drilling Co. for drill and shoot; Boca Construction for milling and grooving; Concrete Cutting and Breaking for sawcut pavement and deck, wire cut piers; Specialty Groups Inc. for digital message sign work; LMS Construction for TL-5 barrier wall and Triton Construction for slipforming parapets and median wall.
Major equipment used on the job includes a Manitowoc MLC-300 Max crawler crane with 197-ft. boom, a Grove GMK7750 with 115.9-ft. boom, a Manitowoc 888 barge-mounted ringer crane with 225-ft. boom and a Manitowoc 2250 series 3 crawler crane with 130-ft. boom and carbody counterweight.
Photo courtesy of Troy Morgan of WVDOT
Hamilton reported that specialized equipment includes strand jacking to erect the center spans of the Kanawha River WB and EB bridges. It also was used to lower the center span of existing truss bridge.
Interstate 64 (I-64) serves the communities of Kanawha and Putnam counties. Originally built in 1966, the segment crossing the Kanawha River currently carries approximately 70,000 vehicles per day. An increase in traffic volume has been noted to result in congestion, sudden stops and collisions along I-64.
"It is an incredible project that is needed so badly," Justice said when the contract award was announced. "It's needed from the standpoint of congestion, but it's also needed so badly from the standpoint of safety."
The project is a part of Gov. Justice's Roads to Prosperity program and is one of the largest construction projects undertaken. The project will greatly reduce congestion at a major bottleneck on one of the most heavily traveled sections of highway in West Virginia. The original two-lane Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge carried an average of 60,000 vehicles a day. CEG
Brenda Ruggiero
Brenda Ruggiero has written for CEG for over 20 years. She lives near the town of Accident in far western Maryland. Her favorite assignments so far involved interviews with Survivor’s Boston Rob and hot dog eating champion Joey Chestnut. Both were involved in construction at one time.
Brenda holds a BA in Mass Communication with a writing focus from Frostburg State University and minors in Public Relations and Political Science. She works full time as a staff writer for a weekly newspaper, the Garrett County Republican. She enjoys feature writing the most, which gives her the opportunity to talk to people and share their stories.
Brenda and her middle school sweetheart, Reuben, have been married for over 34 years and have three grown children and four cats.
Read more from Brenda Ruggiero here.
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