NEWS9 Special Assignment: Wellsburg Bridge is built -- now what?

The Wellsburg Bridge has been open to traffic for more than a year, and at the time of its opening in Brooke County, it was expected to bring economic opportunities to the area.

Has it done so? Has it been able to alleviate traffic concerns, particularly after the closing of the Market Street Bridge?

The bridge was a $131 million project opened on Sept. 20, 2023, after decades of planning and anticipation.

"It appears, from what we see in observations right now, we count the average daily traffic at about 4,800 to 5,000 vehicles on a given day," BHJ Planning Commission Executive Director Mike Paprocki said.

"The oil and gas industry with the fracking work and things that are being hauled. It looks as if a lot of that bridge is being used for a lot of that traffic. That's what we're observing."

The bridge, which was celebrated by county, city, and state officials from both sides of the Ohio River, hasn't seen an immediate impact to businesses, or an increase in new commerce to the area, but officials say there are plans for development that can be linked directly to the bridge and its location.

"What this bridge will allow us to do -- and it's going to take some time -- it will allow us increase the pool of potential employees that can work on both sides of the river, the transport of goods, and also the number of businesses that are looking at it," Jefferson County Port Authority Executive Director Robert Naylor said.

"Beech Bottom has not seen a lot of increase in our business, yet the residents like the convenience,” Beech Bottom Mayor Becky Uhlly said. “We can get to Steubenville in no time now."

The initial impact of the bridge has been what it has allowed for residents in the area to take advantage of, and that's easier crossing of the river for daily and routine tasks.

"Talking with some of the representatives in Wellsburg with the chamber of commerce, they're seeing that their restaurants were busy, they're seeing a lot more license plates from Ohio, and obviously those are coming from the Brilliant or Tiltonsville-Yorkville area, or maybe even from as far north as Mingo going across into the Wellsburg area,” Paprocki said. “That's one impact that I know has been discussed."

The bridge opened at a time when two of the other main arteries in the valley have been restricted or closed all together, which has been a side effect in showcasing how vital the new bridge has been for the region.

That importance was seen by the Market Street Bridge, which, according to the WVDOH, averaged 7,835 vehicles per day in its final full year of 2023.

"You have to look at this from a transportation standpoint going down Route 2, and while there are plans to widen Route 2, they're not currently underway,” Naylor said. “This allows commerce traffic to come across the bridge and get onto State Route 7, which is four lanes, and if you go south, you can get on Interstate 70, and if you go north, you can get on the Ohio turnpike and enter the transportation system where still most of our goods are transported.”

FULL STORY: https://wtov9.com/news/local/news9-sp...
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