Interstate 77 Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

I-77 Bridge a First in West Virginia; Construction Underway

A bridge that’s replacing an existing one on Interstate 77 in Ghent is the first of its kind in West Virginia.

Bala Sivakumar, vice president of HNTB, the company overseeing the project, tells The Register-Herald that construction started Sunday. It’s expected to finish Saturday.

The project is using Accelerated Bridge Construction to replace the two-lane bridge deck on northbound I-77 over Route 48.

In ABC, workers assemble pre-cast elements at the side of the existing bridge, while crews build a new superstructure underneath the existing bridge. The pre-cast elements are then moved into place using a lateral slide method.

Crews work around the clock until the bridge is completed in days.

HNTB spokesman Randy Epperly says over 100 ABC projects are expected on the West Virginia Turnpike in the future.

Bus Carrying Gregg Allman Crew Crashes, 3 Hurt

A tour spokesman for Gregg Allman’s band says three crew members have been injured when a bus went off Interstate 77 in West Virginia.

Spokesman Ken Weinstein says the crew members were treated for minor injuries at a hospital and released Wednesday. He says the 68-year-old singer wasn’t on the bus.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office had no immediate information on the accident. Media outlets report the southbound bus went into the northbound lanes, through a guardrail and over an embankment before stopping against a tree next to a creek near Goldtown at about 5 a.m.

The bus was headed to a concert Wednesday at the Clay Center in Charleston, about 20 miles south of Goldtown. Clay Center spokeswoman LeAnn Cain said the concert is still on.

Speeders Targeted on I-77

State police in Virginia and West Virginia have formed a special detail to reduce speeding on Interstate 77.

West Virginia senior trooper D.C. Graham says he’ll patrol a nine-mile section of the interstate in the Princeton detachment’s territory. Virginia senior trooper P.J. Deel plans to focus on I-77 in Bland and Wythe counties in Virginia.

Graham also will patrol U.S. 460 in Mercer County in West Virginia.

The Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports that Graham and Deel met on Sunday at the northern end of the East River Mountain Tunnel to discuss a strategy to reduce speeding.

Graham says he and Deel discussed the interstate’s most treacherous sections on both sides of the state line.

West Virginia Trooper Injured Along Interstate 77

West Virginia state police say a trooper has been injured in a hit-and-run accident along the West Virginia Turnpike.

State police spokesman Lt. Michael Baylous says in a news release that Trooper D.R. White of the Parkways Authority detachment had stopped his cruiser to remove debris on Interstate 77. White was struck while walking back to his cruiser shortly after 5 a.m. today north of Princeton.

Baylous says the driver of the vehicle failed to stop and render aid. State Police are seeking information on the driver.

State Police say White crawled back to his cruiser, where he called for medical assistance. He was treated and released from a hospital.

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.