PROCTORVILLE - The wait is over early for many motorists in eastern Lawrence County as the East Huntington Bridge has reopened for travel.

The bridge that connects to State Route 7 in Proctorville had been closed three weeks for a repair project to ensure that the structure remained safe for travel. It reopened a week early today.

During the construction motorists were detoured to the West 17th Street Bridge or the Robert C. Byrd Bridge which meant extended travel time for many.

Rob Pennington, West Virginia Department of Transportation Construction Engineer, said the early opening was due to a combination of things such as good weather, the material was delivered on time and production went much smoother than they thought.

&#8220We had an original completion date of Nov. 15,” he said. &#8220An incentive clause was written into the contract to give the contractor an incentive to get finished.”

The clause said the contractor would receive an extra $2,000 a day for each day the bridge is opened before Nov. 15 and would be fined the same amount for each day the bridge was still closed for every day after the 15th.