River Detours and Closures at the Thomas Buford Pugh Memorial Bridge

Date: July 8, 2014
Contact: Chief of Interpretation, 304-465-6523

Glen Jean, West Virginia,July 8, 2014– The West Virginia Department of Highways and the Federal Highways Administration is replacing the Thomas Buford Pugh Memorial Bridge on Route 41 in the town of Prince. Construction on the bridge will require temporary full river traffic closures and long term river detours between Prince and McCreery on the New River. Construction will begin this month, and the detour will remain in effect for the duration of the project until July 2015.

Boat Traffic Detour:

July 2014 through July 2015: The New River at the Route 41 Bridge between Prince and McCreery will be partially closed to river traffic. Please see the attached map for the Detour Route. 

River Closure to Boating Traffic:

October 28th, 2014: the New River will be CLOSED to the public at this location for 15 days. There will be construction equipment in this area blocking channels and making overhead lifts.

March 11th, 2015: the New River will be CLOSED to the public at this location for 15 days. There will be construction equipment in this area blocking channels and making overhead lifts.

 Please see the attached map for the full closure.

Park updates will be posted to the park's website at www.nps.gov/neri. You can also find updates on the park's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/newrivergorgenps. For questions, please contact Robin Snyder at 304-640-0724.