Division of Highways Story Archives - Page 3 of 3 - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

North Bend Rail Trail to Undergo Repairs

The North Bend Rail Trail soon will undergo repairs to address water damage and other problems.

The 72-mile trail runs from Interstate 77 near Parkersburg to Wolf Summit in Harrison County. It’s operated by West Virginia State Parks.

North Bend Rails-To-Trails Foundation chairman Mark Abbott tells the Parkersburg News and Sentinel that water damage is the biggest issue.

The Division of Highways has awarded a $300,000 grant to help pay for repairs. The trail previously received an $80,000 grant from the DOH and $20,000 raised by the foundation to repair the Doddridge County segment.

Abbott says the additional funding will expand repairs to the Harrison County segment and a small part of the trail in Ritchie County. He says the project will take at least two years to complete.

W.Va. Highways Worker Accused of Lying to Federal Agent

A federal grand jury has indicted a state Division of Highways supervisor on a charge of lying to an FBI agent during an investigation into a DOH equipment office in Buckhannon.

U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld on Thursday announced the indictment of 48-year-old Barry D. Thompson of Mount Clare.

Thompson, who works as a supervisor at the Buckhannon office, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

Federal investigators have been looking into a state contract between an Ohio supplier and the DOH equipment office. FBI agents and West Virginia state troopers seized records and documents from the Buckhannon facility in August.

The DOH equipment office has about 90 workers. The office purchases trucks, bulldozers, excavators, lawn mowers and other equipment for highway garages statewide.

Section of I-77 in Mercer Co. to Close Friday for Emergency Repair

The West Virginia Division of Highways will be closing a section of Interstate 77 in Mercer County to allow for controlled blasting of a slipping hillside.

The I-77 northbound slow lane between mile post 3 and 3.5 has been closed to traffic since December 2, 2013 due to the instability of the hillside. After consulting with a contractor, the WVDOH has decided to address the issue by bringing down the hillside with explosives.

Interstate 77 from mile post 1 to mile post 9 and a section of WV 112 that runs parallel to the interstate will be closed to traffic sometime between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on Friday, December 13, 2013.

WVDOH crews and the contractor will work to reopen the southbound lanes within 30 minutes of the blast, once debris is removed from the roadway. The northbound lanes will remain closed the remainder of the day to allow for additional work by the contractor and to allow time for debris removal. The northbound fast lane is anticipated to open by dusk. The slow lane will remain closed indefinitely to allow for additional debris removal.

Northbound traffic will be detoured onto US 52 at Exit 1, then onto US 460 East, and back on to I-77 north in Princeton at Exit 9. Flaggers will be placed at strategic intersections along US 460 in Princeton to assist in the movement of traffic. Drivers should anticipate an extra 30 to 45 minutes of travel.

Local traffic is advised to use alternative routes during the closure.