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[Alps]

i think it's a tribute to the steel and dirt history of west virginia

[SP Cook]

https://wvmetronews.com/2023/10/14/doh-making-changes-in-u-s-route-33-work-zone-following-tractor-trailer-crash/

This kind of stuff, sadly IMHO, is what the "fix local roads" opposition to things like Corridor H beget.  There really is not "fix local roads" option that makes any kind of sense.  Good safe roads, blasted through the mountains, save lives.

[Rothman]

https://wvmetronews.com/2023/10/14/doh-making-changes-in-u-s-route-33-work-zone-following-tractor-trailer-crash/

This kind of stuff, sadly IMHO, is what the "fix local roads" opposition to things like Corridor H beget.  There really is not "fix local roads" option that makes any kind of sense.  Good safe roads, blasted through the mountains, save lives.

The article you've linked is regarding a guiderail/retaining wall project and the poor work zone traffic control that led to the crash.  Not sure how the content pertains to your comment.

[1995hoo]

WVDOH

Every time I see this, I think it’s Homer Simpson’s favorite highway department.

[Bitmapped]

https://wvmetronews.com/2023/10/14/doh-making-changes-in-u-s-route-33-work-zone-following-tractor-trailer-crash/

This kind of stuff, sadly IMHO, is what the "fix local roads" opposition to things like Corridor H beget.  There really is not "fix local roads" option that makes any kind of sense.  Good safe roads, blasted through the mountains, save lives.

The article you've linked is regarding a guiderail/retaining wall project and the poor work zone traffic control that led to the crash.  Not sure how the content pertains to your comment.

US 33's Allegheny Mountain crossing has long been an issue. It has a 10% grade that continues for several miles with several hairpin curves and no truck escape ramps. It's the worst of the crossings on US 33 east of Elkins. Completely fixing the crossing probably isn't feasible here, but blasting to straighten out the uppermost pair of hairpin curves and soften the lower curves would help tremendously.

[Rothman]

https://wvmetronews.com/2023/10/14/doh-making-changes-in-u-s-route-33-work-zone-following-tractor-trailer-crash/

This kind of stuff, sadly IMHO, is what the "fix local roads" opposition to things like Corridor H beget.  There really is not "fix local roads" option that makes any kind of sense.  Good safe roads, blasted through the mountains, save lives.

The article you've linked is regarding a guiderail/retaining wall project and the poor work zone traffic control that led to the crash.  Not sure how the content pertains to your comment.

US 33's Allegheny Mountain crossing has long been an issue. It has a 10% grade that continues for several miles with several hairpin curves and no truck escape ramps. It's the worst of the crossings on US 33 east of Elkins. Completely fixing the crossing probably isn't feasible here, but blasting to straighten out the uppermost pair of hairpin curves and soften the lower curves would help tremendously.

Ok...but what does that have to do with the article?

[seicer]

I'm not sure the work zone was really an issue. I just came through there several times in the past few days and it's well posted and advertised. It doesn't say what caused the accident but it could have been the driver was simply going too fast for conditions. That's not the fault of WVDOH but of an inexperienced or inattentive driver.

It's a long downgrade for trucks for certain, but the traffic volumes aren't there to build a four-lane highway east of what's already completed. US 48/Corridor H will take the burden off of whatever long-distance trucking remains on US 33 as it's just a short detour from US 48 to US 33 in Virginia.

[Bitmapped]

I'm not sure the work zone was really an issue. I just came through there several times in the past few days and it's well posted and advertised. It doesn't say what caused the accident but it could have been the driver was simply going too fast for conditions. That's not the fault of WVDOH but of an inexperienced or inattentive driver.

GMSV has September 2023 imagery showing the construction zone. There's a sequence of Road Work Ahead / One Lane Road Ahead / Be Prepared to Stop / Traffic Signal Ahead signs prior to the work zone. The One Lane Road sign is about 0.4-mile ahead of the actual closure, but this part is already on a steep downgrade. A VMS at the top of the mountain warning of the work zone might encourage truckers to keep their speed better under control. DOH did say they were lowering the speed limit for all vehicles to 30mph going down the mountain in response to the accident.

Some of the articles I've read have talked about trucks blowing through the mandatory truck stop at the top of the mountain. That's not WVDOH's fault. A truck escape ramp or lower set of mandatory stops might be helpful in general, but if truckers don't use them, it's still not going to do anything. There's one location just uphill of the current work zone that could work for a mandatory truck stop, but not an escape ramp. Building an escape ramp would require major blasting to relocate the road to even have space for it.

It's a long downgrade for trucks for certain, but the traffic volumes aren't there to build a four-lane highway east of what's already completed. US 48/Corridor H will take the burden off of whatever long-distance trucking remains on US 33 as it's just a short detour from US 48 to US 33 in Virginia.

Agreed. There's no need for four-laning US 33 east of Elkins or really even a brand new two-lane alignment. Some smaller-scale improvements like straightening the top of Allegheny Mountain, a passing lane on the western approach to Rich Mountain (relatively easy to build), and some curve-straightening along the WV 28 multiplex would be big improvements as funds allow.

[hbelkins]

I get the various mountains mixed up, but the next-to-the-last time I was through there, they were building a truck lane on the mountain at the end of the "racetrack." The last time I was through there, it was complete.

[seicer]

WVDOH completed upgrades of the eastbound US 33 crossing of Shavers Mountain east of the "racetrack" several years ago. It's not the "blasting" of the mountains that SP Cook would prefer, as this is near a federally designated wilderness and within the National Forest, but modest improvements allowed for the addition of a truck climbing lane. Clearing the vegetation back and adding better drainage has also allowed the roadway to dry out faster in the winter.

The next range over is Middle Mountain and then Rich Mountain. The big grade that has had the issues is east of Harman and WV 32 - Allegheny Mountain. The grades at North Fork and Shenandoah Mountains (the two ranges to the east) are just as gnarly.

[seicer]

This is a reminder that US 19 is closed at the New River Gorge for... Bridge Day!

[seicer]

The cobblestone-paved US 52 bridge over two CSX tracks, James River Road, and Fourpole Creek is being replaced. Temporary ramps are being built at the junction with Interstate 64 to allow for one half of the bridge to be rebuilt at a time. The superstructure is being replaced while the piers will be shored up.

Bridge: https://maps.app.goo.gl/nQ1xZWgcvuvSoUE29

I was kind of hoping they would have used this opportunity to soften the curve from Interstate 64 westbound to US 52 northbound. They have been stockpiling dirt and rock near the bridge for years and it looks like a stub for a bridge at this point.