Craig Howell REPLACEMENT COMING? - Two public meetings have been scheduled to receive public comment on the ongoing study for a potential replacement of the Market Street Bridge. The bridge was closed in December 2023, with officials citing ongoing deterioration of some of the bridge's cables.

Area residents soon will have an opportunity to provide input on a potential replacement for the Market Street Bridge.

The Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission has scheduled a pair of public meetings.

The Market Street Bridge was closed to traffic in December 2023 after routine inspections identified continuing deterioration in some of the bridge’s cable anchorages.

HDR Inc. is conducting environmental studies, supported by more than $88 million in federal funding, to identify the location of any replacement span, the impact of a new bridge on homes, businesses and traffic, and whether a new bridge is needed. West Virginia also has allocated funding for the project.

The first meeting is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 18 at the Follansbee Community House, 1455 Park Lane, Follansbee.

“This will be a public meeting,” explained BHJ Executive Director Mike Paprocki during Tuesday’s meeting of the Brooke County Commission.

The second meeting is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. May 19 at the BHJ offices, 127 S. Fourth St., Steubenville.

Paprocki said representatives of HDR and the West Virginia Division of Highways are confirmed to attend the meetings, and he is hopeful representatives of the Ohio Department of Transportation also will participate.

“We encourage everyone to come in and express your concerns,” Paprocki said.

As with the Market Street Bridge, any new span would connect West Virginia Route 2, between Weirton and Follansbee, with a point in Steubenville.

During BHJ meetings in March, officials said potential locations for a new span could include an area near South Street in Steubenville, as well as previously discussed locations near Logan Street, Ross Street, Washington Street and the existing Market Street bridge site.

Another option, as required in such bridge studies, would be to not build a new span.

A condition of the federal funding is that the money must be formally allocated by Sept. 30, 2027, and spent by Sept. 30, 2032.

Officials previously indicated construction of a new bridge could take between eight and 12 years.