MORGANTOWN — What did the West Virginia Division of Highways do to the lower portion of River Road during its 500-day closure to prepare for its unexpected reopening on Sept. 6?
According to DOH spokesman Brent Walker, nothing.
“Our District Manager, Darby Clayton, put a new set of eyes on it and suggested we clean it up and monitor it for a period of time for additional movement,” Walker explained. “We have not seen any additional movement in many months and the decision was made to reopen the road.”
Monongalia County Commission President Tom Bloom was among those caught off guard by the road’s opening. He said he doesn’t understand what was proven by monitoring a road without traffic.
“It’s like saying that we paved a road in 2015 and did not let any cars or trucks on the road, but it looks great after four years of monitoring,” Bloom said. “Their comment is totally mind-boggling and irresponsible.”
A major slide on April 17, 2018, forced the evacuation of one home, sent large trees through power lines and left an avalanche of trees, poles and hillside laying across the asphalt.
The barriers were removed a week ago and traffic commenced.
The road’s sudden reopening came as a surprise to local officials, particularly after previously being told the 1.27-mile stretch was riddled with slides and would likely never reopen due to the estimated $6 million it would take to stabilize the hillside.
In his email, Walker concedes, “To fix the slide properly, it would have cost approximately $6 million.”
Walker explained that the DOH is working on the “design and study” of what needs to be done for River Road, and notes, “We will continue to monitor it and will act quickly should we learn of any movement.”
Bloom said he was frustrated that the DOH was talking to the media about the situation while inquiries from himself and Westover Mayor Dave Johnson have gone unanswered.
As previously reported, one of the questions asked by Bloom and Johnson is whether the DOH could place a weight restriction on River Road, which sees not only heavy trucks headed to the Morgantown Industrial Park and beyond, but school buses headed to Skyview Elementary and Westwood Middle schools.
“The DOH does not normally put weight restrictions on roadways,” Walker explained. “Bridges and structures, we limit as needed.”
According to Bloom, this isn’t a normal situation.
“We need weight limits because the road is also caving in on the river side due to the excessive truck weight,” he said. “It was a farm road and was not built to handle the huge trucks and their weight.”
Bloom said he intends to request the DOH meet with the county commission “to try and reopen communications.”
