By Matthew Young
For HDMedia
The West Virginia Department of Transportation on Monday, announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded a grant in the amount of $65 million, part of which will be used to replace the Dunbar Toll Bridge.
The grant, part of which will also be used to repair and restore the Kanawha Turnpike Overpass Bridge on Interstate 64, was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Competitive Highway Bridge Program.
Built in 1953, the Dunbar Toll Bridge was known as the D.L. Salisbury Bridge until 1955. According to the WVDOT, the now 73-year-old bridge is “structurally deficient” and “functionally obsolete.”
“The $65 million for the Kanawha Valley Bridge Bundle is a massive win for the safety and connectivity of our region,” West Virginia Transportation Secretary Todd Rumbaugh said in a statement released Monday. “This achievement is a direct reflection of the ‘maintenance-first’ mission we have undertaken at the WVDOT.”
There is no word yet as to when the grant funds will be received by the WVDOT or when the work will begin. The West Virginia Department of Transportation and Division of Highways currently has projects underway in all 55 counties within the state.
A request for more information from the state DOT was not immediately returned.
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