CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Capitol Hill Walkway demolition has begun as part of a vast project to clean and paint nine interstate bridges and ramps through downtown Charleston.
“As part of this project of painting and concrete coating, we are demolishing the Capitol Walkway, WVDOH Chief Engineer of Operations Greg Bailey, P.E., said. “We are going to remove all of the walkway. Then the exposed areas will be coated and painted like the rest of the system.”
The walkway, which connects downtown Charleston to the Spring Hill Cemetery neighborhood, was constructed in the 1970s but closed in the 1990s because of safety concerns. It has a series of towers, walkways and enclosed stairs.
The demolition is part of a $27.4 million contract was awarded to Blastech Enterprises Inc. last March to work on the bridges and ramps on I-77 and I-64.
The bridges that will be worked on include Piedmont Road, Bigley Avenue and Court Street. The Ramps include Court Street, Leon Sullivan Way and Brooks Street.
According to the WVDOH, the painting will prolong the bridges and ramps, and white coating and sealant will be placed on exposed concrete surfaces and structural steel.
The painting and concrete coating has been halted for the winter as they are using this time to begin the walkway phase of the project. Crews have already started removing material from the walkway in preparation for demolition.
According to the WVDOH, lane closures will likely occur during the demolition.
The completion date of the project is set for November 2023.
Story by Chayce Matheny