Sept. 7 – Princeton – Work that began last March to replace a bridge that served as a key connection between the city of Princeton and Mercer County is continuing and could be completed by late 2026 or earlier, a city official said Friday.
The effort to replace the long-standing Thorn Street Bridge in Princeton began in March. According to information from the West Virginia Division of Highways, the contractor plans to close, remove and rebuild one side of the bridge.
While the work is ongoing, traffic can continue to flow in both directions.
“It’s going great,” Princeton City Manager Mike Webb said. “They’ve been working on it for the last few months and they’ve been able to keep the traffic flowing.”
Webb stressed the importance of the bridge to the city and the region as a whole.
“It’s a major connection to the eastern part of the city,” he said. “There are about 12,000 cars that go over it every day. It’s scheduled to be finished in mid to late 2026, and they’re on track to do that now. The project itself is a little over $13 million and the bridge is 1,200 linear feet long.”
The current Thorn Street Bridge, now about 77 years old, was built in 1947 by J.M. Francesa & Company of Fayetteville. This replacement span is being built by another West Virginia firm, Orders Construction Company of St. Albans.
Because the plan is to build the new bridge on only one side at a time, traffic will continue to flow in both directions during construction, the state Highway Department said.
Because the bridge is so important to Princeton and connects much of the community to the businesses on Mercer Street and the surrounding areas, the Princeton Economic Development Authority plans to post regular updates on its Facebook page, according to a post this week from the development authority.
Those looking for updates can also visit princetonoverheadbridge.com
Contact Greg Jordan at
gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
