History – Parkersburg Bridge Partners

History

Parkersburg Bridge Partners (PBP) is a local subsidiary of United Bridge Partners, which funds, designs, builds, owns or leases, and operates private toll bridges across the United States. United Bridge Partners’ mission is to creatively deliver and operate transportation infrastructure for America’s communities.

Parkersburg Bridge Partners does not simply finance an infrastructure project and outsource all other functions to third parties. We manage the entire project delivery process and, over the long term, perform operations, maintenance, customer service and tolling back office activities in-house. PBP strives to become an active, positive member of the community and good neighbor. We will open a Parkersburg office and hire a local general manager and team. We will also use, to the extent possible, local labor and suppliers during the modernization and rehabilitation of Memorial Bridge.

Memorial Bridge was completed in 1954 and opened to traffic January 12, 1955. The bridge has a steel through truss design, accommodating two lanes of traffic as vehicles cross between Parkersburg, West Virginia and Belpre, Ohio. The half-mile long bridge has been tolled since it opened.

In 2018, the city of Parkersburg began exploring options for divesting the bridge. Parkersburg Bridge Partners won a competitive bid process in 2021 to design, rehabilitate, operate and maintain Memorial Bridge. As part of the agreement, PBP will assume financial responsibility for operations and maintenance of the bridge.