Forty years in the making, the Blennerhassatt Bridge will be, at $120 million, the most expensive of any project in the history of the Division of Highways.

          The tied arch Ohio River bridge will complete Corridor D, a four-lane highway that links I-79 at Clarksburg with I-275 near Cincinnati, Ohio.

          Passing over the western end of the island and crossing both the main navigational and secondary channel of the river, the bridge will total approximately 3985 feet from abutment to abutment.  A continuous girder bridge with three spans ranging from 144 to 179 feet comprises the 494-foot Ohio approach to the 880-foot tied arch over the main channel, with a continuous girder bridge of eight spans ranging from 200 to 400 feet comprising the 2611-foot West Virginia approach.  Supported by concrete piers about 69 feet above the river, the weathering steel structure will provide four travel lanes with shoulders wide enough to serve traffic during emergencies or future maintenance work.