WHEELING — With several more concrete pours scheduled for the deck-replacement project on Chapel Road Bridge in Bethlehem in the coming weeks, the project is expected to be complete by the first week of October, according to Kokosing Construction Project Superintendent Ty Doyle.

Crews continued performing a variety of concrete, steel and carpentry tasks Monday, and Doyle said he expects the project to stay on schedule with traffic being able to use the span again by the first week of October. The 47-year-old bridge, which spans about 100 feet above Interstate 470, was scheduled to be closed to traffic through the end of the summer season, according to the West Virginia Division of Highway officials.

Doyle said crews continue to “balance” construction work at both ends of the 500-foot-long structure. He expects to pour the remaining 340 feet of bridge deck over the next several weeks as crews have already completed two 80-foot sections of deck at both ends of the span while working their way to the center of the structure. He said the concrete pours are scheduled to take place in the very early morning hours and should not cause any closures or detours on I-470 as in previous months when they removed large slabs of concrete from the old deck. He said they will pump the concrete from trucks located on Chapel Road at both ends.

“We have to pour this in sections. We are waiting on some material to come in and it might be a couple weeks yet,” Doyle explained while speaking about a timeline for finishing the deck.

In addition to the actual bridge deck, he said they still have to construct and pour the approaches at both ends of the structure and the parapets — the low protective walls along the edge of the bridge, including protective fencing. He said he expects the parapets to be constructed by late September.

Motorists traveling I-470 have experienced several closures and detours during evening and night-time hours in recent months as Kokosing crews removed sections of the old concrete deck.

The detour route throughout the construction project continues to be West Bethlehem Boulevard and the nearby Spruce Street Bridge. All entrances to businesses and city streets on both sides of the bridge are expected to remain open throughout the project. The Chapel Road Bridge project is scheduled to proceed a second bridge deck replacement project of the nearby Spruce Street Bridge, which also spans above I-470 near the same location. Both projects are part of a $6.1 million plan to repair both spans, according to DOH officials.

Kokosing Construction of Columbus is the general contractor for the project.