Memorial Bridge to close 45 days

PARKERSBURG -- The Memorial Bridge will be closed for a month-and-a-half starting next week as a $50 million, full-scale rehabilitation gets underway.

Parkersburg Bridge Partners, which is finalizing its purchase of the toll bridge from the City of Parkersburg, announced plans to close the bridge starting March 15.

A full examination of the bridge deck and steel superstructure, which necessitates a full closure, is needed, the company said in a news release Tuesday evening.

"Although our goal was to keep the bridge open at all times through the construction process, key work that requires a full closure needs to be completed," Ken Szeliga, vice president of construction and operations for Parkersburg Bridge Partners, said in a news release. "We anticipate this work will take approximately 45 days, and our team continues to work to shorten that closure estimate. We plan to limit travel disruption as much as possible. We will keep the public informed of traffic impacts as we begin full rehabilitation of Memorial Bridge."

Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce said the sale is expected to close before the bridge closes next week.

Parkersburg City Council last year approved the sale of the bridge to Colorado-based United Bridge Partners, of which Parkersburg Bridge Partners is a subsidiary. The city will receive $4 million and the company will make no claim on approximately $11.8 million the city has allocated for maintenance and demolition of the toll bridge.

The soon-to-be new owner has pledged to complete a $50 million rehabilitation to extend the useful life of the bridge by at least 50 years. The projected completion date is October 2023.

Parkersburg Bridge Partners began preliminary work on the span in December to address existing maintenance needs and prepare the structure for the increased weight of construction equipment and a containment system for lead-based paint that will be removed.

A detour map will be released later this week, and signs will clearly mark the detour route during the closure period, the release said.