WV 2 Connector awaits federal funds
Sherman Cahal
Work on last segment of link between U.S. 60, W.Va. 2 may begin in spring
By JIM ROSS - The Herald-Dispatch
BARBOURSVILLE -- The West Virginia Department of Transportation still is
waiting for the federal money it needs to build the final segment of the
Merritts Creek connector.
As soon as President Bush signs the appropriations bill that is headed for
his desk, the road will be built, Fred VanKirk, secretary of transportation
for West Virginia, said Tuesday.
"As soon as we get the federal funding, we're going to build it. It will be
this spring sometime," VanKirk said.
The final segment will require at least two construction seasons, VanKirk
said. "By late summer of next year, it ought to be open for driving."
The Merritts Creek connector is a four-lane highway designed to link U.S. 60
at Barboursville with W.Va. 2 near Lesage. The connector includes the new
Interstate 64 interchange at Barboursville.
The project was put on indefinite hold two years ago when the West Virginia
Department of Transportation did not have $15 million to complete the
project.
The first phase of the connector was the new I-64 interchange and about a
half-mile of new four-lane road. That work was finished in 2000 at a cost of
$12 million.
The second phase extended the four-lane road north about 1.64 miles. It
cost $13.35 million and was finished in summer 2001. It was not opened to
traffic, because it did not connect with any other main road.
The final phase will extend the connector the remaining 1.45 miles to W.Va.
2.
Developers and lawmakers believe the connector is a key to economic
development in the northern part of the county, because it will link
relatively flat land along W.Va. 2 with I-64.
It is also a safety issue. Heavy trucks use Little Seven Mile and Merritts
Creek roads as a shortcut between W.Va. 2 and I-64 or U.S. 60. The connector
parallels Little Seven Mile and Merritts Creek, running slightly to the
east.
The remaining segment has been designed and the right of way has been
acquired, VanKirk said late last year.
--
Sherman Cahal
Author of Ohio River Valley Roads,
http://www.cahaltech.com/~roads
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