The West Virginia portion was under construction by 1976, and work in both states was completed by 1983. The three-level diamond interchange on the eastern banks of the Ohio River was said to be the most complex interchange in West Virginia at the time of construction by the WVDOH spokesman Gary Chernenko. The opening of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge, along with another bridge in nearby Moundsville was thought to have reduced the amount of traffic, and thus tolls collected by the nearby Bellaire Bridge by up to 50 per cent in 1987.