Parkersburg Memorial Bridge closed indefinitely

WTAP News @ 10
Published: Aug. 17, 2022 at 3:00 PM EDT

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - According to a news release from the Parkersburg Bridge Partners, the Parkersburg Memorial Bridge is closed indefinitely due to continued traffic law violations.

The bridge will be closed going in both directions.

The release stated, “Our priority is the safety of our construction crew and the traveling public. Further updates will be provided when available.”

Jonathan Wallace, General Manager of the Parkersburg Bridge Partners, said they have continued to see traffic violations on both the Ohio side and the West Virginia side.

Wallace said they are trying to be proactive and stop anything bad from happening.

”With the change in the traffic pattern speeding and multiple violations as far as speeding goes,” Wallace said. “A couple of people going around the barricade on the Ohio side, just caused some concern about the safety of the traveling public as well as the construction crew. So we decided to actually close down the bridge until further notice. So we can kinda regroup and see what kind of safety devices are out there in order to help alleviate the problem.”

Wallace explained that they will be creating a detour map to help everyone know the proper routes they can take.

The Belpre Police Department confirmed the news on its Facebook page as well.

The update comes after the announcement that traffic going over the bridge was converted to a one-way lane from Parkersburg to Belpre.

This is a developing story. Keep checking WTAP for the latest information.

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