KINGWOOD — Work is underway on one of the most complained about roads in Preston County.
Preston County commissioners said earlier they get many complaints about W.Va. 26 south.
Last week, DOH crews installed a culvert under the road on what’s known as Oaks Hill and used an excavator to clear metal grates covering drains. Crews also cleaned ditches all along the road.
Another culvert was installed by the DOH under the road at a spot just south of Kingwood, where the road was slipping away on the northbound side. Workers from GSI installed soil nails to stabilize the slip.
“They’re getting ahead of it,” Commissioner Don Smith said. Smith mentioned existence of the slip months ago.
Crews are also milling sections of W.Va. 26.
DOH Spokesman Brent Walker said the work is being performed by a combination of DOH workers and contractors. The pipe installation, ditching and culvert flushing operations are being done by the DOH. The milling is being performed by a contractor.
Walker said the estimate to repair the slide is $59,715. The asphalt contract estimate is $932,500 for W.Va. 26, $81,063 for County Route 26/66 (Knight Drive) and $81,064 for County Route 26/80 (Preston Drive).
W.Va. 26 will be paved from the stop light in Kingwood to the Jessop Bridge — about 6.5 miles.
The DOH advises motorists there will be traffic delays through Friday. Work will be from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays.
Delays will be on W.Va. 26 from the junction with County Route 59 (Campground Road) to the junction with W.Va. 7. Delays will also occur on Route 26/66 (Knight Drive) and Route 26/80 (Preston Drive) from their junction with W.Va. 26. These are the roads to Preston High.
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