A federal bankruptcy judge on Thursday approved a financing plan that will allow the reconstruction of the washed-out bridge at Crossings Mall to begin.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Patrick Flatley granted a motion from Crossings Mall owner Tara Retail Group, headed by developer Bill Abruzzino, for bridge construction financing. Abruzzino filed for bankruptcy in January.
The ruling will allow the contractor, David Alvarez, of Applied Construction solutions, to begin work on the bridge as soon as possible, according to a release from the Kanawha County Commission.
The contractor agreed to front the cost of the construction in exchange for priority status as a creditor, the release states. The contractor has testified previously that the reconstruction will take 60 days or less once it begins.
Alvarez and Abruzzino could not be reached for comment late Thursday.
The mall has been closed for about 10 months, ever since a massive flood on June 23, 2016, washed away the culvert bridge leading into it.
County Commission President Kent Carper said the question now is how quickly the bridge can be completed and reopened.
Carper said he hopes it will be finished by summer, but that depends on things that are out of the commission's control.
The bridge's absence has led to dozens of businesses in the shopping center closing. More than 500 people who worked at the mall are out of work, according to the commission.
It likely will take a while for the shopping center's tenants to reopen, Carper said.
Thursday's ruling is "clearly a step in the right direction," he said.
The judge's ruling requires the Crossings Mall owner to report the status of the construction to the court.
"The citizens of Kanawha County can be assured that we will monitor the case and the construction progress until the day Crossings Mall reopens," Carper said in a prepared statement.
Reach Lori Kersey at Lori.Kersey@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-1240 or follow @LoriKerseyWV on Twitter.