I-64 in WV

[SP Cook]

wvmetronews.com/2016/05/17/state-doh-planning-to-widen-i-64-through-part-of-putnam-county

Extreme bottleneck. MP 45 to 40.  Consists of a major bridge over the Kanawha, another minor bridge over a creek, and a overpass carrying a minor local road that will have to be replaced (cannot fit 6 lanes under it).  Total reworking of the oddly designed St. Albans exit will be needed.  Kanawha river bridge will be twined and existing one rehabed. 

Work will start next spring (depending on $$).  When finished I-64 will be six lanes from the end of the WV Turnpike to Exit 39.  Eventual plan is to six-lane the road all the way to Exit 6.

[hbelkins]

That bridge will be an expensive one to build. Building to the south will require expensive right of way. Building to the north will require blasting out a big mountainside.

[GCrites]

I don't recall this area being that bad. I used to do it weekly at rush hour, though it was about 12 years ago. How much has the volume increased since then? How much is the population really going to increase in this low-growth area? Will everyone that lives in Huntington take jobs in Charleston and vice versa? I feel projections of 100,000 VPD will not come to fruition.

[Gnutella]

Traffic was fairly heavy on I-64 between Charleston and Huntington when I drove it eight months ago. I can see the need for six lanes there.

[SP Cook]

Traffic comes to a halt where the 3 lanes become 2 at rush hour, morning (eastbound) and evening (westbound, and much worse because it is a downhill and a sharp turn.  So this project is pretty necessary.   HB is right, twining the bridge requires taking out either a very productive industrial park (if the new bridge is the eastbound one) or blasting a hill (if westbound).  Assume westbound, blasting powder is way cheaper than the ROW.

As to the rest of 64, which would be MP 39 to 6 (MP 15 to 11 are already done, and bridge rehabs were done with an extra lane banked years ago) it is debatable, but the road has capacity issues at times.  Considering the road is the only interstate E-W for a good stretch either N or S, it will help the trucking industry.

[hbelkins]

In the news story, one commenter suggested extending US 35 southeastward across US 119 to end at the turnpike near Chelyan. They claimed it would be cheaper than building a new bridge for I-64. I seriously doubt that.

[SP Cook]

There is zero chance of Charleston ever getting any type of bypass.  That ship sailed 50 years ago.

And, no, such a deal would not help the congestion on I-64 that much.

[dvferyance]

There is zero chance of Charleston ever getting any type of bypass.  That ship sailed 50 years ago.

And, no, such a deal would not help the congestion on I-64 that much.

Why would it ever need one? It only has about 50,000 and where could you even build a bypass? It's surrounded by mountains in every direction.