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The City of Weirton opened the bidding for the replacement of the Greenbrier Road Bridge on Tuesday and James White Construction came in as the apparent low bidder.

City officials accepted bids from five companies throughout the area for the Greenbrier Bridge replacement project.

Public Works Director John Brown said the total demolition of the bridge will include all new concrete for a culvert, a drain, pipe or channel that allows water to pass under the road; new headwalls, the device placed at the end of a bridge used to retain the road formation soil around and above the abutments and prevent erosion at the abutment; and new knee braces, additional support connecting the deck with the main beam that keeps the beam from buckling outward that are commonly made from plates and angles.

City officials announced in April 2009 the estimated cost for the replacement could be as high as $160,000. Among the bidders was James White Construction which placed a bid for $96,000 for the project. City Manager Gary DuFour reminded those at the bid open that in accordance with City Code, if a local vendor's bid "does not exceed the lowest qualified bid from a nonresident vendor by more than 5 percent of the apparent low bid" the local company gets the contract.

Jarvis, Downing and Emch, Inc. out of Wheeling bid $118,000; Lone Pine Construction Inc. out of Bentlyville, Pa. bid $141,250; Ohio-West Virginia Excavating Co. out of Powhatan Point, Ohio bid $113,734; and Savage Heavy Highway out of Wheeling bid $125,495.

City officials said even without the 5 percent preference, James White Construction comes in as the low bidder.

Brown said once the project is complete, the height restrictions will be removed and the weight capacity the bridge will be able to withstand could exceed 20 tons.

"It will be safe for garbage trucks and everything to go across," said Brown.

It was announced in April that the funds for the project would have to come out of the City of Weirton's Contingency Fund.