Everest Drive Bridge closed until further notice
Nov. 15—FAIRMONT — The bridge connecting Everest Drive and Cleveland Avenue is closed until further notice.
The remaining sections of the two streets not impacted by the bridge closure are still open to traffic.
Tuesday morning, crews from the City of Fairmont placed barriers closing off the Everest Drive Bridge after a large pothole was spotted in the asphalt of the bridge.
The pothole is so deep that the ground below the bridge can be seen and exposes reinforcing rebar that runs through the structure.
The city has discussed conducting a structural integrity study on the bridge in the past and requested bids from architectural and engineering firms over the summer to provide a "scope of services" for the bridge, but Tuesday afternoon Fairmont City Manager Valerie Means said there is no study currently underway, and nothing has come from that bid process yet.
According to a post made by the city's Facebook page, the bridge is "Pending assessment and maintenance, the Everest Drive Bridge... is closed until further notice."
The bridge was last inspected in 2019 and the report showed a bad prognosis for the structure with the inspector writing that "this structure is in poor condition" and "long term bridge replacement should be scheduled."
Specifically, the report points out eight areas where the bridge's significant deficiencies. Most notably are heavy rust and loss in the bridge's spans, and the concrete deck is "heavily deteriorated."
Reach David Kirk at 304-367-2522 or by email at dkirk@timeswv.com.
