After Months, Monument Place Bridge Open Again
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After months of looking for ways to get around the Monument Place Bridge in Elm Grove, motorists now have the ability to drive across it again.
The bridge, the oldest in the state of West Virginia, reopened Wednesday after being closed for rehabilitation since April. That shut down the main throughway in Elm Grove for people traveling on National Road. But now, drivers have a fortified bridge bolstered with new materials that maintains the classic look of the span that was constructed in 1817.
Wheeling City Manager Robert Herron, an Elm Grove resident himself, lauded the project, which was overseen by the West Virginia Division of Highways.
"The DOH and their contractors did an excellent job on this project," he said. "They did it as fast as they possibly could. The end product is the restoration of the oldest bridge in West Virginia, and it looks terrific."
The $3.8 million project had forced motorists to detour around the bridge since its closure. Smaller vehicles were able to use side streets, but larger trucks needed to use Interstate 70 to reach certain locations in Elm Grove that had been reachable via the bridge.
"The fact that the traffic is open is a huge plus," he added. "The actual detour and traffic around the bridge while it was closed went very well. People got used to the local detours, so that part went well and I appreciate the citizens' cooperation with that. That went very well."
Built in 1817 by pioneer Col. Moses Shepherd as part of the National Road, the Monument Place Bridge - also known as the Stone Bridge - was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
The project and the altered traffic patterns that came with it weren't just rough on drivers. The multiple businesses that called the area around that bridge home also had to deal with customers having a tougher time getting to their locations. Wheeling City Councilman Dave Palmer, whose ward includes Elm Grove, said now that the bridge is completed, it was time to show those businesses some love.
"Christmas came early for the residents of Elm Grove, and we are truly thankful for the bridge reopening," Palmer said. "I would now encourage all shoppers to support the small businesses in Elm Grove. They have been very patient during the bridge closure and would certainly appreciate seeing former and new customers again."
With that project over, a couple of new bridge replacement projects are on the horizon. Herron said that both the Washington Avenue Bridge at the corner of Washington Avenue and National Road, as well as the Shilling Bridge near the Elm Grove Crossing Mall - which happened to be one of the local detours for the Monument Place Bridge - are scheduled to be temporarily closed and replaced sometime in 2025.