I-77 Bridge a First in West Virginia; Construction Underway

A bridge that’s replacing an existing one on Interstate 77 in Ghent is the first of its kind in West Virginia.

Bala Sivakumar, vice president of HNTB, the company overseeing the project, tells The Register-Herald that construction started Sunday. It’s expected to finish Saturday.

The project is using Accelerated Bridge Construction to replace the two-lane bridge deck on northbound I-77 over Route 48.

In ABC, workers assemble pre-cast elements at the side of the existing bridge, while crews build a new superstructure underneath the existing bridge. The pre-cast elements are then moved into place using a lateral slide method.

Crews work around the clock until the bridge is completed in days.

HNTB spokesman Randy Epperly says over 100 ABC projects are expected on the West Virginia Turnpike in the future.