Tag: I-77

Lower Speed, More Patrols Aimed at Making I-77 Safer

West Virginia officials say they hope some new measures will make a dangerous section of Interstate 77 safer to travel.

The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports West Virginia Parkways Authority said it would lower the speed limit from 70 to 60 by the end of April, increase patrols, and check tractor-trailers’ equipment more often.

Parkway General Manager Greg Barr made the comments during a ceremony this week in which a bridge was dedicated to two Parkways employees who were killed in a crash last year in Mercer County.

The crash is one of several that have occurred along a stretch of Interstate 77 that goes down Flat Top Mountain into Mercer County.

Barr said officials are trying to take a comprehensive approach to making the roadway there as safe as possible.

Memorial Honors Fallen West Virginia Highway Workers

The West Virginia Fallen Highway Worker Memorial lists 49 names beneath a statue of a worker in a hard hat holding a sign telling drivers to slow down.

Unveiled at the I-77 Williamstown Welcome Center on Wednesday before families and state officials, it recalls those killed in work safety zones since the creation of the State Road Commission in 1921.

The Division of Highways memorial aims to call attention to the importance of safe driving in work zones.

Transportation Secretary Tom Smith says everyone has a responsibility to make sure no more names are added, now that an unprecedented increase in road projects is beginning.

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