TRAFFIC CONCERNS — Brooke County Commissioners on Tuesday said they are seeking a meeting with officials with the West Virginia Division of Highways to discuss the impact on traffic by work on the Veterans Memorial Bridge. -- Warren Scott

WELLSBURG — Brooke County Commissioners announced they will seek a meeting with state highway officials to discuss a remedy to accidents and traffic congestion occurring on and near the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

The announcement came following a string of seven accidents on the span on Monday, resulting in one individual being transported to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and injuries to others.

Weirton Police said one of the accidents involved a large truck that struck four vehicles and spilled two of four metal coils it was carrying onto the roadway.

Commission President A.J. Thomas said he was among many drivers who were backed up to the Harmon Creek exit of U.S. Route 22 for more than two hours following the accidents.

They and others said the congestion also was due in part to the recent closing of the bridge’s right lanes west- and eastbound, including the exit ramp to Follansbee.

The West Virginia Division of Highways has announced the lanes closures are expected to continue through May 31 while crews perform maintenance there.

Christina White, director of the county’s emergency 911 center, noted the problem is not a new one, with more than 200 accidents occurring in that area of U.S. Route 22, resulting in multiple deaths, when lanes were closed on the span for many months in 2022 and 2023.

She suggested posting an electronic sign to advise drivers if there are accidents ahead.

Some have suggested such a sign is needed to alert interstate traffic and other drivers approaching the bridge that delays should be expected, while others have complained that many are driving at high speeds as they approach the work zone.

Thomas said while an officer in a Weirton police cruiser has been positioned in the area in an effort to deter speeding, “There has to be a better way.”

A resident asked the commissioners the status of the Market Street Bridge, noting it was a major link between Ohio and the Follansbee area until it was closed in December.

State highway officials cited deteriorating support cables for the closing, which they described as indefinite.

Thomas said state officials haven’t made official their future plans for it but have indicated they will apply for millions in federal funding to replace it at or near its present site.

The Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission has announced the state DOH has asked for its assistance in applying for funds from the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program.

The program is expected to provide funds to bridge projects in each state with an estimated cost of $100 million or more.

Thomas said, “Yesterday’s events showed the importance of the Market Street Bridge.”

In other business, commissioners Thomas, Tom Diserio and Stacey Wise applauded the efforts of the county’s emergency first responders and staff at the county courthouse in response to last week’s flood.

County officials have reported the Ohio River rose to about 41 feet, about five feet above flood stage, while backed up storm drains and swollen creeks resulted in flooding also.

While firefighters from several departments worked to pump water from residents’ basements, staff at the courthouse carried equipment and materials from the courthouse’s ground floor upstairs.

Brooke County Sheriff’s Deputy Kyler Ferguson said ultimately, the water rose about 18 inches in the former bay for the county’s ambulance service and adjacent offices. He asked the commission to arrange for those areas to be professionally cleaned for the safety of staff who work there.

Disinfection of flooded areas is important because of bacteria in the water.

Also for that reason, the Brooke County Health Department is continuing to offer tetanus shots to those exposed, especially those who haven’t had one in five years and had a cut while exposed to the water.

Also applauded were the efforts of White, who manned the county’s emergency mobile command center, a bus-sized vehicle, outside the Wellsburg Banquet Hall.

White was aided by volunteers Corey Mitchell, who is assistant Bethany fire chief, and Patty Polizzi in receiving requests for cleanup assistance from a dedicated number so the 911 center could focus on emergency calls.

A member of the Kins family, Polizzi was visiting from Virginia, where she is a dispatcher.

White said the various first responders were provided food by local residents and businesses, and Diserio noted several athletic teams from Brooke High School also offered their help with cleanup efforts.

The Wellsburg Kiwanis Club has teamed with local businesses to collect cleaning supplies and toiletries for those affected by the flood. Such materials may be dropped off at the Wellsburg branch of First National Bank at 1015 Commerce St., James Funeral Home at 1245 Main St., Follansbee; or Howard Hanna Mortimer Realty at 3028 Pennsylvania Ave., Weirton.