Eastbound traffic on U.S. 35 is merged to one lane to make space for safe contracted bridge work on the Silver Memorial Bridge, which connects Gallipolis, Ohio and Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Officials urge motorists to drive carefully and be mindful of merging into live traffic.

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The current Silver Memorial Bridge project costs $3.5 million and will include concrete repairs to the bridge surface, as well as repairs under the bridge, on the parapet walls and minor steel repairs. There will also be electrical work done on the structure aimed around replacing lights. Eventually there will be a new concrete surface across all four lanes of the bridge with this concrete overlay work starting in April. Various stages of the work will continue through Nov. 30. The project has an estimated completion date of May 2014.

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OHIO VALLEY — The Silver Memorial Bridge is getting a facelift of sorts — one which will cost $3.5 million and be completed in May 2014.

Carrie Bly, communications specialist with the West Virginia Department of Transportation, said the improvement project is similar to the one which took place a couple of years ago on the Fort Hill Bridge in Charleston.

The project will include concrete repairs to the bridge surface as well as repairs under the bridge, on the parapet walls and minor steel repairs. There will also be electrical work done on the structure aimed around replacing lights.

Eventually there will be a new concrete surface across all four lanes of the bridge with this concrete overlay work starting in April.

Various stages of the work will continue through Nov. 30 when crews will take a slight break. Again, the actual project has a completion date of May 2014, though that is dependent on the weather.

Bly said motorists should expect one lane of traffic to be shut down on the bridge in both directions until the project is basically completed. As the nature of the work changes, so will the traffic patterns from time to time before ultimately returning to the original traffic pattern.

Currently, motorists are being alerted of the lane restriction and to yield to oncoming traffic on U.S. 35 when driving the bridge’s on ramps from either direction.

Once again, Bly described these improvements as “routine.”

Triton Construction has the contract for the work.