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Last week was the return of something I'm sure most (hopefully all) of our area residents was dreading…the return of maintenance work on the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
We knew crews would return at some point. After all, those large, orange construction barrels were left in the far eastbound lane through the winter season.
The Veterans Memorial Bridge first opened in 1990. It's understandable maintenance must happen from time to time in order to keep such a span operational, but this is now an annual thing. When warmer weather comes around, we now expect to see the flowers bloom, hear the birds sing and experience the frustration of work zones, narrowed lanes and backed-up traffic on the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
It's worse this year, though. Not only are we having to deal with the regular bridge work, but other projects along U.S. 22 are under way, including the replacement of highway signage. We also are reminded that the Market Street Bridge is closed "indefinitely," which results in a heavier load of traffic going across the newer span.
The work has only been going on for a little over a week, and there already have been several vehicle crashes; some resulting in injuries to those involved. Monday evening was a major incident, with a series of crashes taking place, including a semi which lost two of the four coils it was hauling. I happened to have been on my way to the Hancock County Board of Education meeting when it took place, and was unaware until I got to the Weirton Council meeting later that night and was speaking with Weirton Police Chief Charlie Kush.
I saw photos posted on social media from people stuck in the traffic, and have heard reports of people who were videoing the scenes as they were able to make their way past. I don't know if it's people trying to "citizen journalists" or just the mentality of today's social media world where we think we have to post our every experience for the world to see, but that's not helping anything.
In fact, chances are it's going to make it worse. If you're driving through a construction zone or an accident scene, and you're taking pictures or video on your phone instead of paying attention to the road and other vehicles around you, you run the risk or creating another crash.
The DOH initially reported plans for this phase of maintenance was scheduled through May 31. With the weather we've had lately, that's certain to be pushed back a little bit, but I have to wonder how much work is added as a result of these crashes.
I understand it's a pain to deal with. I drive across the bridge anywhere from two to eight times a day. I've been reminding myself to allow for extra time in the event traffic is heavy. It's just under 5 miles between my house and our office. Under normal conditions, it should take between eight and 10 minutes for that drive. The other day, going home was close to 20 minutes, and that was with traffic flowing steadily around 6 p.m.
People are going to get frustrated and impatient. Things aren't going to go the way we would like for a while.
It's important though, for the safety of everyone concerned, for all of us who use that bridge to take whatever precautions we can, not just during the construction season but throughout the year.
(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter/X @CHowellWDT)