WVDOT > Eugene A. Carter Memorial Bridge Color Study

The Eugene A. Carter Memorial Bridge (locally known as the Fort Hill Bridge) is scheduled for significant maintenance work in the latter part of 2009 and continuing into the 2010 construction season. WVDOH anticipates minor renovation work during the Fall of 2009, including the application of a skid-resistant pavement surface overlay. Work will begin in the Spring of 2010 to clean and paint the bridge. WVDOT is currently studying color schemes for the painting of the bridge and is also considering the feasibility of lighting the bridge with aesthetic light fixtures to enhance the gateway into the Capitol City.

The Eugene A. Carter Memorial Bridge has more traffic than any other location in the State, carrying more than 100,000 cars and trucks every day over the Kanawha River through Charleston and has been a significant landmark of the city’s surface transportation system since 1975. The bridge was built by Foster and Creighton Construction Company for the West Virginia Division of Highways as part of the Interstate 64 Highway System. The superstructure consists of six continuous deck girder spans, a simple through truss main span, four continuous deck girder spans and six continuous concrete box beam spans with an overall length of 2,246 feet. The structure has a clear roadway width of 52 feet 6 inches in each direction and is supported by reinforced concrete stub abutments and concrete piers. The deck is made of cast-in-place reinforced concrete and has been overlaid with a latex-modified concrete surface.

About Eugene A. Carter

Eugene A. Carter was born in 1909 in Prudence, Fayette County. At the age of 17, he went to work for the New River Pocahontas Consolidated Coal Company, the same coal company that employed his father. In 1934, during the Depression, Eugene A. Carter came to Charleston and began working as a driver for a local dairy company. He helped to form the first local Teamsters Union. In 1936, he was elected President of Teamsters Local 175 and served in that capacity until 1974. In 1945, Eugene A. Carter was elected President of the West Virginia Federation of Labor and served in that capacity until the AFL State Federation and the CIO Industrial Union Council merged to form the West Virginia Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, in 1957. The leadership and inspiration of Eugene A. Carter helped the AFL and the Teamsters to experience dramatic growth during his tenure. He truly dedicated his life for the betterment of West Virginia workers and serves as an inspiration to labor leaders who have followed him.