WVDOH names new bridge on Scott Miller Hill bypass in honor of Robert “Bob” Ashley

CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, officials with the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) met with local officials and members of the family of Robert “Bob” Ashley to officially name the new bridge on the Scott Miller Hill Bypass project after the former state senator and delegate. The bridge was officially designated the Robert G. “Bob” Ashley Memorial Bridge.

Ashley, who spent much of his 30 years in the Legislature pushing for the bypass project, died on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, just before the completion of the 4.3-mile bypass on US 33 between Spencer and Ripley.

“This is a project that’s been on the shelf for a long time,” said Jacob Bumgarner, P.E., WVDOH Chief Engineer of Special Programs.

Kanawha Stone was awarded a contract for $40.4 million in 2020 to build the bypass, which included the construction of a new bridge. The project was funded through Gov. Jim Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program.

“Without Roads to Prosperity, projects like this, projects like the Ruby Bradley Memorial Bridge in Spencer, would never have come to fruition,” Bumgarner said.

The Scott Miller Hill Bypass opened to traffic on Thursday, July 1, 2024.

Members of Ashley’s family were on hand for the dedication, honoring a project that local residents had been requesting for decades, and remembering one of the men who was instrumental in pushing the project toward eventual completion.

“(Bob Ashley) would be so proud that you are there doing that job that he’s working with you to make things happen, make things better for West Virginia,” said Ben Ashley, Bob Ashley’s son. “So thank you to everyone who came here today.”