City Preps for Demolition and Replacement of Virginia Avenue Bridge and Road Closure Accompanying It
By Jeff Toquinto on July 06, 2026
As things move forward with the Center Street Bridge replacement, officials with Bridgeport met last month with state officials to discuss the next city bridge that will be replaced.
During the last Bridgeport City Council meeting, Interim City Manager Joe Shuttleworth told those on hand that in 2027, the West Virginia Division of Highways will begin the replacement of the Virginia Avenue Bridge, which is located beside the parking lot to the Bridgeport City Pool.
Recently, Shuttleworth was joined by City Engineer Aaron Stevens, Public Works Director Richard “Tiny” Grimes, Superintendent of Utilities Jared Cummons, and Community Development Director Andrea Kerr to meet with DOH officials. They were also joined by the design firm that will be handling the replacement for the state.
The bad news?
“There will be a complete closure of that area of Virginia Avenue starting next spring,” said Shuttleworth.
The good news?
“The exciting thing we were told was that in this replacement, they are going to use a lot of pre-cast materials and will be shooting for a 90-day turnaround. What that would mean is that would be completed by the start of school,” said Shuttleworth.
Shuttleworth, whose time as interim city manager and decades with Bridgeport Parks and Recreation, has seen timelines on large projects – particularly state and federal ones – struggle to meet timelines. That became even more problematic during and after COVID due to supply chain issues, many of which still exist years later.
“I’m cautiously optimistic it can be done in that time span. I’m very cautiously optimistic,” he said. “With labor, weather, and the supply chain, it impacts things. We’re still seeing supply chain issues that go back to COVID. It’s not nearly as bad, but you still have delays you did not see prior.”.jpg)
The project will see the complete demolition of the bridge. Once completed, Shuttleworth said the bridge will be similarly functional as well as have brick patterns involved to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
Like the Center Street project, the work will require a staging area. And the staging area will eat away at existing parking for the Bridgeport City Pool, during the time it is open. However, there appears to be good news on that as well.
“We’ve been working for a couple of years on various things around the pool and will be replacing the pool in the next few years, which is part of the master plan on the entire Benedum Civic Center area,” said Shuttleworth.
The plan, said Shuttleworth, does not call for the replacement of the existing tennis courts with upgrades being made at the courts at Deegan and Hinke Lakes Park. The initial plan called for a pickleball court there, but that changed with the new facility, also at the lakes.
“We talked to the state about widening the lanes, and they want some right of way from us that would permanently take a few spots away in an area where parking is always an issue,” said Shuttleworth. “Initially, they wanted almost three quarters of the parking, which just was not a functional option.
“What we’ve agreed upon is to have the state assist in removing some of the fending and get involved with a temporary overcoat of the tennis court to strip that area for additional parking,” he continued. “It will be about the same amount, but probably a few more spaces.”
While demolition work would begin as soon as school is complete, work will begin prior. Shuttleworth said utility replacement will be done around the bridge to get things ready for the planned 90-day window.
There was no price listed for the bridge replacement. However, the Center Street Bridge, which is similar in size, came in at $1.67 million. It has a completion date still listed as Nov. 15, 2026.
Like the Center Street Bridge, there will be no temporary structure put in place to allow for traffic flow.
Editor's Note: Top photo is of the Virginia Avenue Bridge, while Interim City Manager Joe Shuttleworth is shown below.
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