NITRO, WV (WOWK) — Since the new I-64 St. Albans-Nitro bridge opened last year, motorists have complained about the huge dips in the eastbound lanes at the end of the span.
At the right — or wrong — speed, the dips can be brutal.
Motorists who often travel the bridge know when to brace themselves and where to slow down to prevent any damage to their automobiles but unsuspecting travelers might think they’re in an episode of the Dukes of Hazzard when they hit the sudden and unmarked dips.
The speed limit through that area is 70 mph and vehicles’ momentum plus the dip can create a bouncy, roller-coaster-like ride.
“We’ve gotten complaints and we drive it ourselves. Those dips are going to be remedied. We are making plans with the contractor to repair them,” Brent Walker, spokesperson for the Department of Transportation, said on Monday in an exclusive interview with 13 News. “The Nitro dips have come to our attention and we are currently looking at how we can make repairs there with the contractor. Those approaches are always brutal.”
The state broke ground in 2021 on the eastbound side of the dual St. Albans-Nitro bridges that replaced the old cantilever truss bridges between the St. Albans and Nitro exits.
The new eastbound bridge and lane expansion was opened to traffic in November 2024 and motorists driving toward Charleston have continued to experience just how treacherous those dips could be.
“We are aware of those dips,” Walker said.
Motorists traveling eastbound from Huntington also have to hit some dips in the construction areas at Barboursville that can bounce a vehicle.
“We will be looking at how we can make repairs to the dips at Barboursville, too,” Walker told 13 News. “We are aware and are working through how to make repairs to it with the contractor.”
Walker said the bumpy road has come up in meetings and repairs are on the way, but he doesn’t have a timeline as to when those will begin and be completed.
The bridge replacement included expanding lanes to three on each bridge for a total of six and it was one of the largest highway construction projects of then-Governor Jim Justice’s Roads To Prosperity program coming in at more than $250 million. The westbound bridge was opened in October 2022.
