BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Bridgeport Fire Department cut the ribbon for its new station on Main Street Thursday, a project that has been seven years in the making.

Plans for the station began in 2016 but were temporarily shelved until a change in city administration got work started back up in July 2022. The building cost about $3 million and will allow the department to operate much more efficiently, according to officials.

“We’ve got all of our living quarters and everything on the second floor now.  All of the administrative offices are in the ground level floor.  We have a large exercise room and a very, very large, gonna be very functional training room that will also serve as an emergency operations center in the time of a natural or man-made disaster,” Bridgeport Fire Chief Phil Hart said.

If you would like to check out the new station for yourself, the Bridgeport Fire Department will be hosting an open house on Friday, Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.