Local businesses team up for cleanup effort at Norway Railroad Bridge

FAIRMONT, W.Va (WDTV) - A local group of businesses lead a cleanup effort for graffiti removal at a historic bridge.

They call themselves the ‘respected pros’ and they are a networking group of local blue collar businesses.

Norway Railroad Bridge has recently suffered from vandalism. This cleanup effort aims to restore it’s appearance and role as a symbol of resilience and pride in Marion County. The bridge is a storied piece of West Virginia rail history and it serves hikers and bikers on the West Fork River Trail.

The respected pros host monthly breakfasts with guest speakers, open networking, and free coffee for anyone ready to build connections and better their craft.

Statement from City of Fairmont:

“The vandalism on the Norway Trestle of the West Fork River Trail is unfortunate and detracts from the quality of time visitors have on the trail. Trail users are looking for great views and quality spaces, and the graffiti can take away from the enjoyment of overlooking the West Fork River and lush forests along it’s banks. Vandalism can also mark places which may not be well utilized, making some users feel more unsafe when walking or biking alone.”

“The City of Fairmont is thankful for the wonderful volunteers from Respected Pros who came out to help clean up this vandalism and restore the trestle to its intended state. It’s the local volunteers that help make our community feel more supportive and successful. Even the neighboring trail networks, such as the Mon River Trail Conservancy in Monongalia County, rely heavily on community volunteers to help maintain and cleanup the dozens of miles of wonderful recreational corridors. Respected Pros coming out this weekend to cleanup this one incident is the kind of volunteer support Fairmont and Marion County needs.”

“This work by Respected Pros along with the hard, multi-decade work MCPARC (Marion County Parks and Recreation Commission) to build quality rail-trails in Marion County is why the City of Fairmont has so much excitement to expand the West Fork River Trail two more miles and create a new trailhead next to East West Stadium in the Beltline Neighborhood. This will create safer and better access from the City down to the Norway Trestle and the rest of the West Fork River Trail. The park to be built at the trailhead will compliment the type of outdoor recreation trail users desire, making the West Fork River Trail an even greater destination and beloved resource within our community. The trail extension and park are expected to be completed in summer of 2026. This will be the first of several trail extensions in Fairmont to close the four and a half mile gap across the City and helping complete the Parkersburg to Pittsburgh Corridor.”

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