The West Virginia Department of Transportation Story Archives

Contractor Killed In US 340 Work Zone In Jefferson County

A flagger working for A.L.L. Construction Inc. was killed in a work zone accident on US 340 in Jefferson County according to a press release from the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT).
The flagger had stopped traffic on the US 340 widening project a little before 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 4, 2024, when another car drove up to the work zone at a high rate of speed. The driver swerved toward the embankment to miss the stopped traffic, but struck the flagger, trapping her underneath the car.
Bystanders lifted the car off the flagger, but she died on the way to the hospital.
“I’m very sad for the family and our partner, A.L.L. Construction,” said Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, P.E. “It’s so senseless that we can’t seem to make better choices when we get behind the wheel of our automobiles.

“I implore all drivers to please lay down your cell phone, stay focused, and obey all the rules of the road, especially in the many work zones around the state,” Wriston said.
“We send our condolences to her family and her co-workers,” said J.W. Hawk, project manager for A.L.L. Construction. “They’re just out there trying to do their jobs.
“The traveling public really needs to pay attention when there are work zones,” Hawk said. “They need to slow down and pay attention, and adhere to all signs.”
Five people were killed in work zone crashes in West Virginia in 2023. The WVDOT is working together with its contracting partners, and law enforcement agencies to prevent work zone crashes.
On Thursday, March 14, 2024, a WVDOT worker was struck and badly injured at the scene of an accident in Clarksburg. On Friday, March 29, 2024, a WVDOT worker was patching potholes on Interstate 79 when a driver drove through the work zone and struck him. His injuries were minor.

No Longer ‘The Bridge to Nowhere’: Ribbon Cutting Opens New Section Of King Coal Highway

Gov. Jim Justice held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the previously constructed Christine Elmore West Bridge, located near Bluefield. The bridge was commonly called ‘the bridge to nowhere’, because the road ended with the bridge. Now as part of a $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program, the King Coal Highway extends past the bridge for three miles. The new completed stretch of highway connects Airport Road to John Nash Boulevard near Bluefield.

Gov. Jim Justice held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the previously constructed Christine Elmore West Bridge, located near Bluefield. The bridge was commonly called ‘the bridge to nowhere’, because the road ended with the bridge. Now as part of a $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program, the King Coal Highway extends past the bridge for three miles. The newly completed stretch of highway connects Airport Road to John Nash Boulevard near Bluefield.

Randy Damron, events coordinator for the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT), said this bridge is the beginning of an economic boost for southern West Virginia.

“This bridge to nowhere, now goes somewhere,” Damron said.

Damron said the three top Justice priorities for the WVDOT, have been the King Coal Highway, the Coalfields expressway, and the Appalachian Corridor H. King Coal Highway, and the Coalfields expressway both go through southern West Virginia. The King Coal Highway is planned to pass through Mingo, Wyoming, McDowell, and Mercer counties.

Gov. Justice invited classic car clubs to be some of the first cars to cross the new bridge and drive down the new highway.

***Briana Heaney/West Virginia Public Broadcasting***

Justice said this highway, once completed, will connect many areas of southern West Virginia to surrounding areas and shave off hours of transit time.

“This is your bridge to so much economic development and prosperity,” Justice said. “I hate to say it, but in many, many, many ways. We ran off and left southern West Virginia — well, that’s not going to happen on my watch.”

Noah Staker lives in Princeton, and worked on the crew that built the connecting stretch of the King Coal Highway. He said that this bridge has gone nowhere since he was a kid. He said so much of the towns in Southern W.Va. are only accessible by winding backroads. Staker said the investment in this roadway will help tie southern communities together, and connect communities with safer, straighter roads.

“The thing is, it’s just a tough state to drive through naturally,” Staker said. “So the more straight line you can get, it will just allow people to get somewhere in 30 minutes versus an hour. That’s a big deal, gets people out and moving and traveling.”

The roads were funded through tax revenue and bonds. The economic impact of the construction was $7.5 million dollars in paychecks to West Virginians, $23 million to contractors, and $4 million in induced revenue to local business.

W.Va. Secondary Road Maintenance Initiative to Continue Through End of Year

The West Virginia Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that the next round of Governor Jim Justice’s Secondary Roads Initiative is underway.

Now through December 31, all 55 of West Virginia’s counties will see mowing, patching, paving, and more to their secondary roads.

In a news release, Transportation Secretary Byrd White noted it was important to his office and the governor’s office to provide this maintenance in an “open and transparent manner.”

The subject of fixing and maintaining West Virginia’s secondary roads was a point of contention and passionate floor speeches during the 2019 regular West Virginia Legislative session.

The full list of new projects, scheduled to be completed by December 31, 2019, can be viewed by going to www.transportation.wv.gov and clicking on Secondary Road Maintenance Initiative.