Photos by Scott McCloskey Motorists traveling west on National Road in the Fulton section of Wheeling are now able to access I-70 west at the on-ramp near Perkins Restaurant.

WHEELING — Motorists traveling west on National Road in the Fulton section of Wheeling no longer have to travel over Wheeling Hill to get to downtown Wheeling or west of the city since the Interstate 70 west on-ramp near Perkins Restaurant reopened to traffic late Tuesday.

While the ramp is open again after being closed since February due to the ongoing I-70 Bridges Project, West Virginia Division of Highways District 6 Engineer Tony Clark is quick to point out that Interstate 470 west is still considered the main “through” detour because construction is still taking place on the Mount de Chantal Bridge section of the project and motorists continue to be detoured off I-70 west at exit 2A near Kroger.

Clark said Swank Construction had “some material delays” for the Mount de Chantal Bridge section of the project and is expected to finish that section of the highway by the end of October.

“Once those bridges are complete, our hope and plan is that I-70 westbound will be reopened, obviously with some lane closures, but through traffic will be able to use I-70 westbound by the end of October,” Clark noted.

While motorists entering I-70 west from the newly opened on-ramp in Fulton are able to travel through Wheeling Tunnel and either exit to downtown Wheeling or continue on across the Fort Henry Bridge, the W.Va 2/U.S. 250 south off-ramp remains closed due to ongoing construction at that location. Clark said Swank Construction is scheduled to reopen that ramp by mid-November.

Construction scheduled for the eastbound section of I-70 where the Fulton Bridges are located is expected to begin in late January or early February, according to Clark.