ELKVIEW, W.Va. — Thirteen months after the bridge to Crossings Mall was destroyed, a new structure to the shopping center will open Friday.
Construction on the new bridge concluded Thursday evening following three months of work.
The previous bridge was destroyed in the June 2016 flood, resulting in more than 500 people losing their jobs.
Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said he is happy to see this project end
“Thank God, thank God at last,” he said at the end of Thursday night’s commission meeting.
The conclusion comes after months of conflict in district and federal court over who would pay for construction. David Alvarez, of Applied Construction Solutions, ended up fronting the costs in exchange for being listed as the creditor.
The commission spent $20,000 in attorney fees in court regarding the issue.
Carper said he is sorry the project has taken so long.
“It was insult to injury to have their neighbors and their families lose their jobs in this period of time,” he said. “It was unnecessary.”
Twenty-three out of 26 businesses in the plaza said they will reopen. The first will be the Kroger Fuel Center, which will open Friday at 6 a.m.