A historic bridge was demolished in Huntington, W.Va. on Monday.The Fifth Ave. Guyandotte Bridge, built in 1926, had long served as the connection between Huntington and Guyandotte.
Ed Armbruster, maintanence engineer for district two, assures the public that demolishing the bridge was in everyone's best interest. "It wasn't safe for the traveling public," Armbruster said. Rather than rehabilitate the bridge to it's former glory, Armbruster said that it was more cost effective to demolish it and build a new one.
There was an assortment of feeling when the news came out that the 84-year old bridge was going to be demolished.
"It was a mixed bag," said Brent Walker, Assistant Director in the Office of Communications for the West Virginia Department of Transportation. While some people were eager to see it torn down and others were hoping for restoration, one thing was common with both. "Most people wanted it done a little quicker," Walker said.
The bridge was closed in January 2007 and although it's taken some time to demolish, Chris Collins, area engineer, assures the public that they will immediately begin replacing the bridge when the cleanup is over.
The replacement will be a standard bridge with a concrete deck. Jimmy Fletcher, project supervisor, informs that the bridge will have architectural trim, street lights and be painted to compliment the flood wall.
The new Guyandotte Bridge has a scheduled finish date of September 2011.
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