Beginning Monday, I-70 eastbound will be closed from U.S. 250/W.Va. 2 south — 16th Street exit (Exit 1B) to the Oglebay Park exit (Exit 2A) in order for Swank Construction to begin phase two of the Fulton Bridge Replacement as part of the I-70 Bridges Project. Photo by Scott McCloskey

WHEELING — Motorists from Ohio traveling east on Interstate 70 will have a tougher time getting through Wheeling — and to places like Wheeling Hospital — starting Monday.

Swank Construction crews return Monday from a month-long break to continue the $215 million project. That means I-70 eastbound will be closed from Exit 1B — the U.S. 250/W.Va. Rt. 2-16th Street exit — to Exit 2A — the Oglebay Park exit. The U.S. 250 on-ramp to I-70 east also will be closed.

Those closures are scheduled to last about nine months, according to the West Virginia Division of Highways.

Motorists heading east on I-70 will need to find alternate routes to get to key places in Wheeling and Elm Grove, including Wheeling Hospital. Those motorists will need to use one of several detours to get to their destinations, depending on where they’re coming from.

The DOH recommends that all through traffic heading to points east of Wheeling should use I-470. Local traffic is encouraged to use U.S. 40 east. Detour signs will be in place to help drivers navigate the changes.

Those heading east near the Fulton Bridges will take Exit 1A into downtown Wheeling to use the local detour. Once the summer hits, those directions will change.

West Virginia Department of Highways Area Engineer Mike Witherow said that starting in June or July, Exit 1A will close for renovations as part of the overall project. The local detour will still take drivers through Fulton, but the way to get there will change.

Starting Monday, motorists will use Exit 1A onto Main Street, turn left onto 10th Street, go east on Market Street over the top of Wheeling Tunnel, onto National Road, over Wheeling Hill, through Fulton and onto Mount de Chantal Road, where they can get back on the highway.

That stays the same until the summer. At that point, drivers will go through Wheeling Tunnel, take Exit 1B and continue to 16th Street, turn right onto Market Street, follow the detour over the top of Wheeling Hill and along National Road through Fulton.

Witherow said Exit 1A will close in the summer for, at most, 120 days.

A map for the Exit 1A closure on the i70forward.com website had a date of “Jan. 2021” posted on the top corner, but Witherow said it will be months before the exit actually closes.

The latest phase of the Fulton Bridges project will last nine months and lead to some major changes in traffic patterns.

Motorists will still be able to access U.S. 250/W.Va. 2 South traveling east on I-70 through the Wheeling Tunnel, but the section of I-70 beyond that point at the Fulton Bridges will be completely closed for approximately nine months, according to the DOH.

The overall project is scheduled to continue at various “phase construction” locations into the fall of 2022.

“The focal point of this project has been the closure of the Fulton Bridges … so you get the sense it is a two-year project, when it’s actually three,” Witherow added.

Any questions or concerns regarding the I-70 Bridges Project can be directed to the DOH hotline at 304-810-3214. For additional information regarding the project, visit i70forward.com.