New Bridge over Ohio River at Wellsburg, WV, Bridge

(Bridge Hunter; B&T; Satellite, as of Feb 2023, nothing shows up on the satellite image. Just a label.)

An existing road bridge does not exist so I can't get a satellite image of what was being replaced.

Flatiron
Construction of the $131m design-and-build contract started April, 2018. The contract specified a completion date of March, 2021.
Construct tied-arch bridge offsite and transport it by barge to the project site for installation

Before I get into discussing the years of study that happened before construction started, here is the placement of a rebar cage into a drilled shaft that motivated these notes.
Ben Stalvey shared
888 getting it done
International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 18 posted
Wellsburg-Brilliant Bridge project in District 6 is moving along across the Ohio River!!

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"Separated by the Ohio River, the towns of Brilliant, Ohio and Wellsburg, West Virginia are connected by antiquated spans that have exceeded their design life, with one bridge recently demolished because of the inability to modernize it." [Flatiron] However, I fired up Google Earth and went back to 1995. The closest road bridge I found upstream was at Stubenville and the closest bridge downstream was at Wheeling. And the handout confirmed that the "no-build" alternative was to use the two bridges upstream in Stubenville. Then I discovered that Stubenville had a third bridge that had been closed --- Fort Steuben Bridge. [Phase I Report, 1998]

They spent years doing the usual dance of collecting public input and doing environmental assesments.

The Handout, p2

Siemens Church did a very poor job of explaining what they studied. Fortunately, The Handout explains:

A new technology being performed by Seamen . A new technology, being performed by Seamen s Church ’s Church Institute, allowed computer simulation of barging activities along the river. As part of the simulation, barge industry river pilots were able to navigate through a 3D model of the Ohio River with different bridge crossing locations and various span lengths. These studies were coordinated with United States Coast Guard and resulted in major changes to the bridge span length.

The Phase III Report, Deck Width, was completed in 2014.

According to Flatiron's image at the top of these notes, the tied arch main span design was chosen.

Update:

safe_image for Construction on bridge connecting Wellsburg and Brilliant continues
"The estimated March 2021 date has been pushed back to November of 2022."
Darren DeMario There is 3 888's and two 2250's on the project. We are doing the caissions on both sides.
[An advantage of a tied arch is that it can be built on shore using regular falsework and then floated into place. This is in contrast to the I-74 bridge across the Mississippi that uses cables for the falsework.]

Jimmy Campbell commented on a share

Pete Wildey posted five photos with the comment: "Wellsburg Bridge is taking shape! Here are some drone shots taken today (May 22, 2020) Feel free to share!"

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safe_image for Mammoet Minds the Gap with Flatiron Construction
"It is the heaviest floating bridge lift ever executed in the USA....Mammoet’s Mega Jack solution provided the least disturbance for ships on the river as the work could be completed in a maximum of two days. An alternative strand jacking method would have the bridge hanging on strand jacks for at least two weeks." Mammoet mounted the jacks on barges in New Orleans, LA, and Flatiron floated them to Wellesburg where Mammoet took control.

The steel was fabricated by Industrial Steel Construction.

ISC-wellsburg
"Working with Flatiron Corporation, ISC is fabricating approx. 4300 tons of steel for the main span and 1500 tons of steel for the approach spans both to be completed in 2020. The tied arch bridge sections consist of 22 tie chords, 31 floor beams, 2 End beams, 18 Arch ribs, 4 knuckles as well as several secondary members such as stringers, lateral braces etc. All pieces except the 4 knuckles will be shipped to site by truck. However, due to the size of the knuckles (137,000 Lbs., 20’ high, 30’ long, 8’ wide), these components were shipped via Barge. ISC performed a full progressive assembly for the tied-arch bridge at its 1.6 million sq. ft. facility under roof located in Gary, In, to ensure a proper fit-up at the site. ISC also played a critical role in the early design stages of this design build project, providing vital information pertaining to steel fabrication, inspection, acceptable tolerances, shipping logistics etc to minimize steel manufacturing and overall project costs."

Feb 2023 Update:

1 of 4 photos posted by Bridges & Tunnels
Construction is ongoing on the new Wellsburg Bridge, which spans the Ohio River and connects Wellsburg, West Virginia, to Brilliant, Ohio. The project, which involves building a tied-arch structure, began in the spring of 2018. Despite progress being made on the bridge, the opening date has been delayed due to weather conditions. The West Virginia Department of Transportation Engineer said the bridge is expected to open in late spring of 2023, as soon as the weather allows for some final touches to be completed.
➤ Additional photos of this bridge can be found at
 http://bridgestunnels.com/location/wellsburg-bridge/
[According to BridgeHunter, B&T took these photos in Sep 2022.]

In addition to the bridge, they have to do some major road building on the WV side.

Street View, Jul 2022

B&T has construction photos from more than one visit.

"In an effort to reduce costs and shave a year off of the construction timeframe, Flatiron opted to build the tied-arch bridge off-site and deliver it by barge to the project site for installation in what was expected to be a two-day operation. 3 On April 26, 2021, the main span was lifted onto two pairs of barges and moved into position in a single 13½-hour operation. 5 The bridge was supported on the bridges by eight sets of sectional pilings. Once in place, the structure was jacked up, and additional pilings were set underneath until it was high enough to rest on its support piers.

"With an estimated weight of 4,000 tons, the tied-arch span was the heaviest structure to be lifted in such a manner in the United States. 4

"Originally scheduled to open in 2022, 4 the new Wellsburg Bridge is estimated open to traffic in spring 2023. 6"

Main Span Length: 845'

Sep 20, 2023: 2 of 6 photos posted  by Ohio Department of Transportation Eastern Ohio District 11 with the comment:

It was certainly a beautiful day for the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Wellsburg Bridge which now connects the communities of Brilliant, Ohio, and Wellsburg, West Virginia! Deputy Director Tom Corey shared "Today is a momentous occasion for our transportation agencies, but most importantly for the communities of Brilliant and Wellsburg. We are honored to have been a part of this remarkable accomplishment and to celebrate with you all today!"

Bridges & Tunnels shared

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[Note the dedication was held on the bridge and the fire truck is helping to hold up the flag.]

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[I include this photo of the power plant because I just wrote about it yesterday. And because it has become nice to see a coal-fired power plant still running.]