15-05-2025
Fairmont's Everest Drive to get completely newly-designed bridge
FAIRMONT — After waiting for two years, replacing the Everest Drive Bridge is within sight.
City Manager Travis Blosser broke the news at Tuesday night's City Council meeting. Blosser told council the city has received the first set of plans for the new bridge. The old bridge will be demolished.
'It's going to be good, especially for the truck drivers that have been having to take alternate routes and making really impossible turns through the City, and the businesses that are dealing with that as well,' Council Member Rebecca Moran said. 'Along that route, it's gonna' alleviate a lot of stuff to get that done, and having the DOH take care of that financially is a big help to us.'
The bridge resides in Moran's district three.
The project as a whole is being spearheaded by the West Virginia Division of Highways. The US Department of Transportation will fund the project through funds delivered to the state of West Virginia, thanks to the previous president's infrastructure bill. Prior to the act, the state and city would have been required to split the cost of the project 80/20, Blosser said.
Blosser said the reason it has taken so long to make progress on the bridge is because there's a lot of processes that DOH has had to go through. The state has thousands of bridges DOH is responsible for, and timeframes DOH has to adhere to when it comes to fixing those bridges as well. However, Blosser said City Council made it clear the bridge was one of the projects they wanted to see movement on, so the city began working toward that goal.
'What's the saying, squeaky wheel gets the grease?' Blosser said. 'As a city, we've been squeaking a lot. We have been building relationships with West Virginia DOH, and that is paying dividends for us of having a positive working relationship with them.'
Blosser is hopeful the project will get underway in the next several months.
The nation as a whole earned a C average when it comes to infrastructure in the country, according a report released by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Bridges themselves earned a C grade as well, while roads earned a D+. However, the Biden administration's focus on infrastructure began moving the needle toward better grades. The New York Times reported that since the last report four years ago, half of the 18 categories tracked in the report received improved grades.
However, President Donald Trump froze government spending under that law in January. Trump's freezes of federal programs across the government encountered much legal resistance, and one lawsuit filed in March by Democracy Forward challenged the freeze on the Infrastructure Jobs Act. Fast forward to May, and it appears municipalities can access those funds again. Trump's freezes in other areas have been successfully challenged in court.
Council is also setting up a new ordinance that will create a private outdoor area within the city that will allow residents to carry alcoholic drinks outside of a bar to another establishment. Blosser said similar ordinances at neighboring cities have already met with success, as the designated area allows municipalities to promote local businesses as well.
'You'll be able to get a drink in a PODA cup,' Blosser said. 'It has to be in that logo PODA cup and they'll be able to go to another business establishment. They could walk across the street and go to Hannah's Clay Creations, if the business decides that, hey if people are doing clay work and you want to bring your drink with you and enjoy your time, it establishes a lot more commerce. Instead of somebody visiting one business, they start hitting multiple businesses.'
The next council meeting is scheduled for May 27.
