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WV Transportation

WV Transportation

WV Transportation

WV Department of Transportation

LCPL Larry S. Heater Memorial Bridge

State Project S321-19-22.03 00
Federal Project N/A

Lewis County High School
Weston, WV

Tuesday, February 19, 2013
from 4:00PM to 7:00PM

Meeting Handout

Project Description

The LCPL Larry S. Heater Memorial Bridge (also known as the Ben Dale Bridge) was built in 1951 by Monty Brothers and is a three span continuous steel W-beam (CSWB) bridge supported by reinforced concrete abutments, two reinforced solid concrete piers and an overall length of 252’8”. The curb to curb width is 28’ and carries two lanes of traffic.Walkways are located on each side of the bridge and have a width of 3’1”. The existing bridge is posted with silhouette postings ranging from 20 tons to 38 tons depending on the vehicle type. The bridge has a sufficiency rating of 58.0 and is considered structurally deficient. The existing bridge is located on US Route 19 over the West Fork River and located in the boundary of Weston. The bridge is functionally classified as an urban minor arterial with a posted speed limit of 40mph. Traffic consists of commercial traffic, school buses, and mail delivery. The average daily traffic (ADT) for US 19 is 2,900 vehicles per day (VPD) based on a 2012 traffic count; the projected design year ADT for 2032 is 4,000 VPD.



Larry S Heater Memorial Bridge
Purpose and Need

The purpose of the project is to replace the LCPL Larry S. Heater Memorial Bridge in Weston, Lewis County. The bridge is located approximately 0.34 of a mile west of County Route 19/3. The new bridge will meet current design standards including suitable weight limits to efficiently serve the residential, commercial and business community.

Construction Schedule

The bridge is currently scheduled for construction in the summer of 2013.

Alternatives
  • Alternative One - Alternative One consists of replacing the superstructure of the bridge utilizing stage construction. During staged construction one lane at a time will be open in the construction area alternating traffic with a temporary signal. Total cost of construction is $2,673,000.
  • Alternative Two (Preferred Alternative) - Alternative Two replaces the bridge at its current location, while using existing routes to detour traffic during construction. Traffic will be required to detour onto Interstate 79 using Exit 91 (Roanoke) and Exit 96 (South Weston). Interstate 79 and US 19 are parallel facilities in this area. The detour is 10.5 miles from one end of the bridge to the other and takes approximately 12 minutes to travel. (See Detour Map) Total cost of construction is $2,185,000.
  • No-Build Option - The No-Build Option will eventually result in the permanent closure of the bridge to traffic.

Informational Meeting
Any additional questions or comments can be sent to Sondra Mullins (Sondra.L.Mullins@wv.gov).
The comment period ended on Tuesday, March 19, 2013.


This project will be processed as a Categorical Exclusion to clear the Environmental (NEPA) requirement. ​
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