West Virginia

[Bitmapped]

https://wvmetronews.com/2024/12/09/hole-in-bridge-closes-interstate-79-south-of-morgantown/

Following on from this I read in another article that WV plans to 6-lane all of I-79 from South Fairmont to the PA line, a distance of almost 30 miles. Can anyone confirm this is the case, and if so, what is the current progress on this massive project?

All of the bridges between Morgantown and South Fairmont will be rebuilt with a future expansion of six lanes. I could see WV pushing the six-lane expansion further south towards Clarksburg/Bridgeport area.
The widening within the Fairmont area is almost done with the completion date of Spring-Summer 2025.

The long-term goal is to have 6 lanes between Clarksburg/Bridgeport and Morgantown. There's no specific timeline, though. The widening won't extend north of Exit 155 because it's not needed; the replacement bridges being built in this section are for 2 lanes in each direction.

Traffic in the Morgantown-Fairmont-Clarksburg corridor runs about 45-50K AADT with a lot of commuter traffic. Fairmont to I-68 is hilly and curvy which results in delays from trucks - the widening here would be effectively a continuous climbing lane. The sections from just south of Exit 152 to Exit 155 have weaving problems from short-spaced interchanges.

Widening will probably happen between Exits 152-155 first, perhaps as part of the planned project to reconfigure Exit 155 as a DDI with a flyover. There's an interchange planned for River Road (MM 150) that would probably add an additional section of six-lane widening. WVDOH will need to decide what to do about the Uffington Bridge over the Monongahela River, which has 3 lanes northbound and 2 southbound; narrowing the shoulders could buy an additional lane within the existing bridge deck.

[webny99]

The long-term goal is to have 6 lanes between Clarksburg/Bridgeport and Morgantown. There's no specific timeline, though. The widening won't extend north of Exit 155 because it's not needed; the replacement bridges being built in this section are for 2 lanes in each direction.

Traffic in the Morgantown-Fairmont-Clarksburg corridor runs about 45-50K AADT with a lot of commuter traffic. Fairmont to I-68 is hilly and curvy which results in delays from trucks - the widening here would be effectively a continuous climbing lane. The sections from just south of Exit 152 to Exit 155 have weaving problems from short-spaced interchanges.

Interesting that there is no interchange in almost 7 miles from Exit 155 to north of the PA line. US 19 crosses I-79 three different times in that span, yet none have an interchange. Anyways that effectively means that the widening would end at the last exit in WV, which just happens to be well south of the state line. I can also see how trucks would be an issue on this relatively hilly stretch of highway.

[MASTERNC]

The long-term goal is to have 6 lanes between Clarksburg/Bridgeport and Morgantown. There's no specific timeline, though. The widening won't extend north of Exit 155 because it's not needed; the replacement bridges being built in this section are for 2 lanes in each direction.

Traffic in the Morgantown-Fairmont-Clarksburg corridor runs about 45-50K AADT with a lot of commuter traffic. Fairmont to I-68 is hilly and curvy which results in delays from trucks - the widening here would be effectively a continuous climbing lane. The sections from just south of Exit 152 to Exit 155 have weaving problems from short-spaced interchanges.

Interesting that there is no interchange in almost 7 miles from Exit 155 to north of the PA line. US 19 crosses I-79 three different times in that span, yet none have an interchange. Anyways that effectively means that the widening would end at the last exit in WV, which just happens to be well south of the state line. I can also see how trucks would be an issue on this relatively hilly stretch of highway.

There is one uphill stretch north of Exit 155 going northbound that could use a climbing lane but agree the traffic count otherwise doesn't justify six lanes (except during football game days?)

I assume that proposed Exit 150 is the bridge at the top of the hill?

As for the Uffington Bridge, think the exit lane for I-68 going southbound starts forming on the bridge, so not sure there is much more room to expand there?

[Bitmapped]

The long-term goal is to have 6 lanes between Clarksburg/Bridgeport and Morgantown. There's no specific timeline, though. The widening won't extend north of Exit 155 because it's not needed; the replacement bridges being built in this section are for 2 lanes in each direction.

Traffic in the Morgantown-Fairmont-Clarksburg corridor runs about 45-50K AADT with a lot of commuter traffic. Fairmont to I-68 is hilly and curvy which results in delays from trucks - the widening here would be effectively a continuous climbing lane. The sections from just south of Exit 152 to Exit 155 have weaving problems from short-spaced interchanges.

Interesting that there is no interchange in almost 7 miles from Exit 155 to north of the PA line. US 19 crosses I-79 three different times in that span, yet none have an interchange. Anyways that effectively means that the widening would end at the last exit in WV, which just happens to be well south of the state line. I can also see how trucks would be an issue on this relatively hilly stretch of highway.

Exit 155 was originally built as an access road to US 19. Until about 2000, the road from I-79 T-ed into US 19. Things were reconfigured to make Exit 155 into Morgantown the through movement as part of the Star City Bridge replacement which concluded in 2004.

The only thing north of Exit 155 in WV that would merit an interchange is WV 7, which is multiplexed with US 19 before breaking away to head due west. It would be ideal to build an access road and interchange where WV 7 leaves, but there is too much of an elevation difference with I-79 there to make it happen. An interchange at the southern crossing of US 19/WV 7 under I-79 near Pursglove could work and would be useful in diverting traffic from Exit 155, but it would be short-spaced to Exit 155.

There is one uphill stretch north of Exit 155 going northbound that could use a climbing lane but agree the traffic count otherwise doesn't justify six lanes (except during football game days?)

As long as both lanes are open, traffic flows smoothly even on game days. It's the interchange at Exit 155 itself that is the problem with long waits at stop sign-controlled ramps getting off I-79.

I assume that proposed Exit 150 is the bridge at the top of the hill?

Yes. At the very least, constructing an interchange there would force fixing the climbing lanes which end just short of the top of the hill.

As for the Uffington Bridge, think the exit lane for I-68 going southbound starts forming on the bridge, so not sure there is much more room to expand there?

A third lane that exits onto I-68 starts on the southern approach spans, which are a simple girder structure. The bulk of the bridge, including the part over the river, is a deck truss and can't readily be widened. Both directions have a full right shoulder and a relatively wide left shoulder. My guess would be they would try to narrow the shoulders to eek out enough room for a third lane when they do widening, unless it's at the point the whole bridge needs replaced.[/quote]

[MASTERNC]

As for the Uffington Bridge, think the exit lane for I-68 going southbound starts forming on the bridge, so not sure there is much more room to expand there?

A third lane that exits onto I-68 starts on the southern approach spans, which are a simple girder structure. The bulk of the bridge, including the part over the river, is a deck truss and can't readily be widened. Both directions have a full right shoulder and a relatively wide left shoulder. My guess would be they would try to narrow the shoulders to eek out enough room for a third lane when they do widening, unless it's at the point the whole bridge needs replaced.

Thought there was a very gradual lane add across the bridge at one point. Don't travel that way much anymore so not sure if they resident some point.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Drove Morganton NC to Pittsburgh on the 23rd and back yesterday.  Some observations:

The first 2 overcrossing bridges on 79 south of 68 are being rehabilitated and having room for an inside 3rd lane added, the next 2 or 3 are already widened.  This work seems to come up just short of the widening project wrapping up from mp 133 both directions heading south.

Waited a good 4 mins at the northernmost traffic signal by southern states in Sommersville on us 19 both directions, the light changed and stayed red even though there was no cross traffic the que the change.

[Bitmapped]

The first 2 overcrossing bridges on 79 south of 68 are being rehabilitated and having room for an inside 3rd lane added, the next 2 or 3 are already widened.  This work seems to come up just short of the widening project wrapping up from mp 133 both directions heading south.

WVDOH let a contract last year to redo many of the original bridges on I-79 between MM 110 and MM 160 at the PA state line. Other than the ones at the I-68 interchange which are being rehabbed, I think most of them are complete replacements.

The bridges between Fairmont and I-68 are wide enough to allow for a future 6-lane widening, although there are no specific plans for this at this time. The ones north of I-68 and south of Clarksburg are just going handle 4 lanes as traffic counts are unlikely to ever justify widening.

[bluecountry]

Any info on Rte 340 widening?

[seicer]

WVDOH awards several bridge and paving contracts

A project to replace an aging bridge named after a historic Jackson County native is among 18 construction projects awarded by the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, and Wednesday, January 8, 2025. The projects were awarded from a bid letting conducted on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
 
WVDOH State Bridge Engineer Tracy Brown, P.E., said the U.S. Army 2LT Clarence Dragoo Memorial Bridge, which carries Old WV 21 across Sycamore Creek in Jackson County, will be replaced with a 107-foot two-lane bridge with sidewalks. The original bridge was built in 1925 and carried weight restrictions.
 
Brayman Construction Corporation was awarded a contract to replace the bridge, with a bid of $6,092,500.35.
 
In 2018, the bridge was named in honor of Clarence Dragoo, a Sandyville native who lost his life in the closing months of World War II.
 
Dragoo, a navigator on a B-24 bomber, was on a mission over Italy on Wednesday, February 28, 1945, when his bomber took heavy antiaircraft fire over the target. Dragoo and the rest of his crew survived the bombing run, but their aircraft crashed in the Adriatic Sea, taking all 11 crew members with it.
 
Dragoo's remains were unrecovered until 2015, when they were returned to Jackson County for final burial.
 
Brown said the bridge will be replaced in stages to allow traffic to remain on the bridge during construction. The downstream half of the bridge will be replaced first, followed by the upstream side.

Bridge on GSV: https://maps.app.goo.gl/CaiAJWukpSwZNfJk6

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Contracts awarded from the December 17 bid letting were:

 

• Bear Contracting LLC was the low bidder on a paving project on Third Avenue in Huntington from Eighth Street to 21^st Street, with a bid of $878,682.47. (Cabell County)
• Thaxton Construction Company Inc. of Sissonville was the low bidder on a slide repair project on Little Fudges Creek Road, with a bid of $144,141.50. (Cabell County) (Roads to Prosperity)
• Phoenix Excavating LLC was the low bidder on a slide repair project on the Neal Slide, with a bid of $370,571. (Wayne County) (Roads to Prosperity)
• Thaxton Construction Company Inc. of Sissonville was the low bidder on a slide repair project on Fisher Bowen Branch Road, with a bid of $348,104. (Wayne County) (Roads to Prosperity)
• West Virginia Paving Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on US 60 from 29^th Street to Peyton Street, with a bid of $3,326,032.62. (Cabell County)
• Meadows Stone & Paving Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on US 19 from Flatwood to Heaters Road, with a bid of $536,206.63. (Braxton County)
• Meadows Stone & Paving Inc. was also the low bidder on a paving project on WV 5 from Sand Fork to Burnsville Road, with a bid of $828,534.76. (Gilmer County)
• Meadows Stone & Paving Inc. was also the low bidder on a paving project on Gassaway Road, with a bid of $1,130,083.27. (Braxton County)
• West Virginia Paving Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on Georgetown-Horner Road, with a bid of $1,031,250.19. (Lewis County)
• Green Acres Contracting Company Inc. was the low bidder on a guardrail project in District 3, with a bid of $450,160. (Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Roane, Wirt, and Wood counties)
• Belt Paving Inc., was the low bidder on a paving project on WV 29 from Deep Run Hollow to Delray, with a bid of $918,650. (Hampshire County)
• PDK Construction Inc. was the low bidder on a guardrail project in District 2, with a bid of $4,443,014.62. (Logan, Mingo, and Wayne counties)
• West Virginia Paving Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on US 60 from Glenn Ferris to Gauley Bridge, with a bid of $2,304,981.88. (Fayette County)
• Phoenix Excavating LLC was the low bidder on a rehabilitation project on the Youth Camp Girder Bridge, with a bid of $1,422,623.55. (Upshur County)
• West Virginia Paving Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on WV 3 from Jumping Branch to Nimitz, with a bid of $722,637.86, (Summers County)
• West Virginia Paving Inc. was also the low bidder on a paving project on WV 12 from Peterstown to Bozoo Road, with a bid of $1,188,963.82. (Monroe County)
• Brayman Construction Inc. was the low bidder on a project to replace the U.S. Army 2LT C. Dragoo Memorial Bridge, with a bid of $6,092,500.35. (Jackson County)
• SMH Construction Company Inc. was the low bidder on a rehabilitation project on the GR Bob Johnson Memorial Bridge, with a bid of $518,969.62. (Logan County)

[Bitmapped]

Word from WCHS-TV is that the new governor has canned WVDOT Secretary/WVDOH Commissioner Jimmy Wriston, who served for most of Governor Justice's term. Todd Rumbaugh, who had been the WVDOH chief engineer for construction, is the new WVDOT secretary. It's not clear if he is also going to be WVDOH commissioner. The two roles frequently go to the same person but not always.

https://x.com/KennieBassWV/status/1879217657809166552

[seicer]

That's unfortunate but also not unexpected. Jimmy saw through the largest bonding program in the state's history, finally allowing WVDOT to embark on extensive rehabilitation projects across the state. Instead of just continuing to repave and patch interstates, it's finally rebuilding from the ground up. It's also tackling a decades-large backlog of projects.

Also, why couldn't he... tie his tie? Interesting that it was brought up as his "signature" attire when it really just looked unprofessional.

[hbelkins]

Wriston came up through the ranks. Started out as an equipment operator without a high school diploma, if I understand correctly. Got his GED, his college degree, and his PE certification while working for WVDOH.

[SP Cook]

My read is that the new governor is much less a big projects type of governor.  While it is certain that Corridor H will be finished (40 years after it should have been) and six lane projects on I-64 and I-79 are going forward, I think they will quietly let the Coalfields Expressway and King Coal/Tolisa Highway projects lie fallow after current contracts are completed.  The US 522 four lane upgrade is a toss up.  The locals don't want it, but it will facilitate truck traffic and open up Morgan County as a bedroom community for DC (which is why the locals don't want it). 

The GOP primary, which is now the real election in WV, was very regional.  The four candidates agreed on most everything, and the voters mostly voted for the local candidate.  The new governor, lives in the eastern panhandle.  If you look at a map, a common person in that area never travels in a direction that uses most of rest of the state's highways.  I have done some work in the eastern panhandle over the years, and unless a person has a job that makes them part of some statewide meeting, or they go to school at WVU (which most of the trip is through Maryland) they literally have never been in any other part of the state. 

[Bitmapped]

My read is that the new governor is much less a big projects type of governor.  While it is certain that Corridor H will be finished (40 years after it should have been) and six lane projects on I-64 and I-79 are going forward, I think they will quietly let the Coalfields Expressway and King Coal/Tolisa Highway projects lie fallow after current contracts are completed.  The US 522 four lane upgrade is a toss up.  The locals don't want it, but it will facilitate truck traffic and open up Morgan County as a bedroom community for DC (which is why the locals don't want it). 

Honestly, this is what WVDOH needs to be doing. Other than a couple cases (most notably US 522 and WV 9 in the EP), there's limited need for new 4-lane corridors. There needs to be more of a focus on maintaining the existing network, especially as supplemental appropriations are drying up, and on making the small spot improvements that enhance the existing road system.

[seicer]

I will argue that US 52 should be given corridor enhancements from Williamson to Bluefield. Since a corridor has been identified and planning conducted on portions of it, a lot of money will be wasted if it's not fully realized. But does it need to be four lanes? Probably not. Relying on coal companies to do the heavy earthwork and building it out to two lanes on a four-lane right of way is smart and saves a lot of money.

But north of Williamson is a different story. Portions of it should be rebuilt, but much of it was redone in the early 1960s into the 1980s. The Crum bypass is one example of a waste. It has sat essentially as an orphan since it was finished many years ago. And the Prichard bypass didn't save time or improve safety over the old alignment.

Money should be invested in growth areas: US 522 and Corridor H are two projects that must come to fruition. Mainline widening projects should be completed. And investments in local infrastructure.

[SP Cook]

And the Prichard bypass didn't save time or improve safety over the old alignment.

The Prichard bypass was built to facilitate the Heartland Intermodal Gateway project.  Prichard needed bypassed because the old road was going to be full of trucks.  I really thought this was a great idea when it was being discussed and built, but it failed totally.  The idea was that you had, in order e-w, US 52, the NS railroad, the Big Sandy river, which is navigable, the CSX railroad, and US 23/Corridor B, with the underused Huntington airport, the Ohio river, and I-64, just north a few miles.   The idea was to build the intermodal deal on the NS, which is the part they built, and then build a bridge over to Kentucky, and then four lane 52 up to 64, and then bring in shipping containers from the Port of Virginia (the tidewater) and then factor the stuff out there, where unemployment and underemployment are high and wages low, rather than in the tidewater area, where labor is expensive and scarce. 

It just didn't work.  No companies were interested, so it sat abandoned for years.  The state gave the place to the county early last year, which renamed it the "Central Appalachia Inland Port" and signed a contract with RJ Corman, which is a short line railroad and railroad construction company, to run it, but nothing has come of it.  Doubt it ever will come to much.

[seicer]

• WV 869 and WV 817 intersection modifications go out to bid on February 11 (BidX).
• The 40 year old concrete pavement on WV 16 (Robert C. Byrd Drive) and US 19 Connector near Beckley will be rehabilitated and diamond ground with a bid going out in April (BidX).

[hbelkins]

• WV 869 and WV 817 intersection modifications go out to bid on February 11 (BidX).

What's that going to be? Are they going to make it like US 27 (Cynthiana Bypass) and KY 36, or the Corbin Bypass and KY 26?

[seicer]

Part of the new WV 108 super-two expressway is on Google Streetview. It is also clearly shown on Apple Maps.

[Bitmapped]

• WV 869 and WV 817 intersection modifications go out to bid on February 11 (BidX).

What's that going to be? Are they going to make it like US 27 (Cynthiana Bypass) and KY 36, or the Corbin Bypass and KY 26?

WV 869 and WV 817 will be straight-through, restoring WV 817 as it was from the US 35 era. The connector road will remain with 90-degree intersections at each end to facilitate access between the roads.

[froggie]

Part of the new WV 108 super-two expressway is on Google Streetview. It is also clearly shown on Apple Maps.

It's been on GMSV for a number of months now.  But curiously, they do not show all of the connection at 123.

[hbelkins]

• WV 869 and WV 817 intersection modifications go out to bid on February 11 (BidX).

What's that going to be? Are they going to make it like US 27 (Cynthiana Bypass) and KY 36, or the Corbin Bypass and KY 26?

WV 869 and WV 817 will be straight-through, restoring WV 817 as it was from the US 35 era. The connector road will remain with 90-degree intersections at each end to facilitate access between the roads.

That's exactly like the two Kentucky intersections I mentioned. Grade-separated with a connector road.

[seicer]

Lanesville Road (CR 45/4) in Tucker County will receive some improvements as indicated in this March bid: https://ui.bidx.com/WVDOT/lettings/MAR1125/proposals/2016000395

The scope of work involves widening Lanesville Road between MP 3.3 and MP 4.42 from one to two lanes. This section has slipping shoulders and slopes, failing guardrails, sharp and blind curves, and encroaching vegetation. This is one of the primary access roads to Dolly Sods and Roaring Plains. IMO, this is a much-needed project given that if you encounter another vehicle on this one-lane portion, there isn't any wiggle room - one vehicle has to back up a considerable length to a suitable pull-off.

CR 32/2 (Bonner Mountain Road) is the alternate route for the duration of this rebuilding project - which itself was greatly improved to two-lanes some years ago.

[Bitmapped]

Lanesville Road (CR 45/4) in Tucker County will receive some improvements as indicated in this March bid: https://ui.bidx.com/WVDOT/lettings/MAR1125/proposals/2016000395

The scope of work involves widening Lanesville Road between MP 3.3 and MP 4.42 from one to two lanes. This section has slipping shoulders and slopes, failing guardrails, sharp and blind curves, and encroaching vegetation. This is one of the primary access roads to Dolly Sods and Roaring Plains. IMO, this is a much-needed project given that if you encounter another vehicle on this one-lane portion, there isn't any wiggle room - one vehicle has to back up a considerable length to a suitable pull-off.

CR 32/2 (Bonner Mountain Road) is the alternate route for the duration of this rebuilding project - which itself was greatly improved to two-lanes some years ago.

With the significant growth in Dolly Sods visitation in recent years, this project has become a necessity. Continuing into Monongahela National Forest, I wouldn't be surprised if USFS paves FR 19 and FR 75 at some point as they have other higher-traffic roads in the forest.

[seicer]

Dolly Sods, in general, needs better management from the USFS, but I doubt that will happen any time soon. It needs defined parking areas, outhouses, and pull-offs on the forest roads to allow traffic to pass by. Ever since my first visit to Dolly Sods some 20 years ago, it's gotten incredibly crowded on the weekends in the summer months. People park everywhere; there are feces tucked into so many rocks because people have nowhere to go, and digging holes/trenches isn't practical if you are a daytime-only visitor, and traffic gets very congested. During the Labor Day (two years ago?) weekend, there was a complete gridlock because traffic was trying to go south on FS 75 and getting caught up in the one-lane segments with traffic going north. Police had to be called to control traffic.

Complicating this are the NIMBYs who want to preserve Dolly Sods as one entire wilderness block when it isn't. Dolly Sods is a USFS Wilderness to the west of FS 75 (generally), but is just National Forest lands to the east of FS 75. And other areas are controlled by private interests, including the Nature Conservancy.