CHARLESTON, WV – The West Virginia Department of Transportation’s Division of Highways (WVDOH) has reviewed the bid received for the Wheeling Suspension Bridge project and, after careful consideration, has decided not to award the bid. A single bid was received, for $17,707,834.00, which was more than double the WVDOH engineering estimate.

“We are committed to doing the right thing, the right way, for the Wheeling Suspension Bridge and for the taxpayers of West Virginia,” said Byrd White, Secretary of Transportation. “Due to the historic nature of the bridge, there are a lot of factors of which we have to be mindful. The single bid we received was more than double our engineering estimate. In this case, we decided that the reasonable approach would be to take another look and hopefully attract more competitive bidders.” 

The WVDOH will review the plan documents and assess whether there are options available for reducing the risks or adding efficiencies to the project, then make the determination whether to re-advertise the project for letting. This process is expected to take three to six months, with the hope of attracting multiple bids for the work.