Before the completion of the Wellsburg Bridge, residents in the towns of Wellsburg and Brilliant had to travel 10 miles north or 16 miles south to the nearest Ohio River crossing points. Now, travelers can turn what was once a 40-minute drive into a less than 5-minute drive.

The Ohio River is a busy and important commercial freight passageway. As part of the alternative delivery method. Flatiron executed a unique construction solution that drastically minimized disturbances to river traffic. The project team constructed the main span entirely off site. Once finished, it was floated upriver before being raised into place in its forever home.

Once the striking 830-foot main span was complete in April 2021, it was positioned on enormous barges that slowly carried it one mile down the Ohio River. Locals gathered to watch this compelling float – an operation that took almost an entire day. After arriving at the piers, the 4,100-ton main span structure was lifted off the barges and placed on the approach girders 80 feet above the Ohio River.

The Wellsburg Bridge spans the Ohio River and serves as the primary connection between the communities of Wellsburg, West Virginia and Brilliant, Ohio.

The tied-arch main span was constructed entirely offsite and transported down the Ohio River by barge to the project site for installation.

The first alternative delivery project executed in West Virginia and Flatiron’s first project in the state.