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Parkersburg considers parting with Memorial Bridge

Notice of intent to divest on Tuesday’s City Council agenda

Vehicles approach the Memorial Bridge from the West Virginia side Thursday afternoon. Parkersburg City Council on Tuesday will consider a resolution notifying the state of the city’s intent to divest itself of the bridge, setting the stage for a potential sale of the span. (Photo by Brett Dunlap)

With an eye toward the high cost of eventually replacing the Memorial Bridge, Parkersburg officials are considering divesting the toll bridge, potentially allowing it to be sold in an auction.

The first step is a resolution notifying the West Virginia Division of Highways of the city’s intent, which is on the agenda for Tuesday’s City Council meeting at 7:30 p.m. in council chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building.

Parkersburg Mayor Tom Joyce emphasized that the bridge, which is inspected annually, is structurally sound.

“We are confident … that we can maintain and keep the bridge open for 25, 30 years,” he said.

But eventually the span will reach the end of its useful life, and the cost to replace it could be $80 million to $100 million, Joyce said.

“Whether it be in 10 years or 20 years, the City of Parkersburg is not going to be in a position to replace the bridge,” he said. “We don’t have those kind of funds.”

Perhaps the state of West Virginia or a private entity would, Joyce said.

If the resolution passes Tuesday, the state would first see if Wood County officials want to take on the bridge, City Attorney Joe Santer said.

Wood County Commission President Blair Couch said that would have to be discussed by commissioners but he does not anticipate much interest.

“The county is not in a position to maintain the bridge or anything like that,” he said.

The next step would be to seek permission from the West Virginia Public Service Commission, which by state law has authority over toll bridges, to sell the structure, Santer said. The PSC would order an inspection of the bridge to determine what work, if any, needs done, then issue an order allowing or not allowing the sale, with the criteria from the inspection taken into account, he said.

The process is not explicitly spelled out in state code, Santer said, and the potential sale of a bridge is not a common occurrence.

“I’m not aware that it’s ever happened,” he said. “If it did, it’s been a long time ago.”

A spokeswoman for the PSC said since nothing has been filed with the commission, officials have not started investigating the matter.

If the sale is authorized, City Council would have to vote on whether to approve it. A sale would then be conducted by public auction, Santer said.

According to the 2017 annual report on the Memorial Bridge, construction of the bridge was financed with a $6.76 million revenue bond issue in 1954 and it opened to traffic in January of 1955. The bonds were paid off in 2001, and the city opted to retain it as a toll facility to keep a dedicated funding source for operation and maintenance.

The bridge is entirely funded through toll revenues and currently generates about $1.8 million a year, according to city budget documents. While funds over and above the required allocations for demolition and maintenance have been used for other purposes, Joyce said the bridge “hasn’t really been a contributor as far as other city operations, but it hasn’t been a drain either.”

Finance Director Eric Jiles said there is currently $4,491,518 in the demolition fund. Santer said it would be up to the state to determine what would happen to those funds if the bridge was sold.

City Council President John Reed said he believes the sale of the bridge will be positive for the city.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the city to have the bridge run by a professional company, and it gets the city out of the high risk, as I look at it, of having to maintain the bridge in its older years,” he said.

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