MORGANTOWN — A broken front door is an untenable situation.
It’s unattractive, but even worse, it’s unsafe.
For untold numbers of people looking to access WVU and the Greater Morgantown Area, I-79 Exit 155 is that front door.
And it’s broken.
That’s how Steve Blinco, Star City’s representative on the Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board, described the situation Thursday as the policy board met in special session and approved a letter to Byrd White, West Virginia’s Commissioner of Highways.
The purpose of the letter is twofold.
One, to make sure Charleston knows the MPO has been involved in the Exit 155 project from the start and remains fully in support of it. Two, to explain that the MPO and its policy board is ready to take up any required actions to move the project along.
Monongalia County Commission President and policy board member Sean Sikora said the commission and developer WestRidge walked away from a March meeting that included DOH representatives with major concerns.
“It became apparent at that meeting that we weren’t all on the same page. The department of highways made some representations that the MMPO didn’t do this or the MMPO didn’t do that,” Sikora said, noting “We really just needed to almost kind of reset and formally have some sort of documentation as to where this project stood.”
As early as 2019, the DOH said a reconfiguring of Exit 155 would likely start sometime in 2021. In May that year, the DOH estimated the project at $66 million and said the original plan would be to turn the existing infrastructure into a divergent diamond interchange with a flyover heading west.
WestRidge would pick up from there and extend improvements to Mylan Park. WestRidge has used bond revenues from the expanded University Town Centre TIF district to finance engineering work on the exit project.
But time has now become a serious factor as the final round of Roads to Prosperity bonds are expected to go out in the coming weeks. Being a part of that is critical to getting the project built.
WVU representative Ron Justice said the issue of whether the project is shovel ready is secondary to whether or not the funding is lined up.
“My concern is that you’re talking two different things. One is when the project can start and the other is when the project can be put into financing. If we miss this opportunity on this bond call, whenever that is … The window of opportunity starts to narrow even more,” he said.
The interchange has been rated “F” or failing, by the department of transportation during peak evening and Saturday hours.
Blinco, a teacher and track coach at Morgantown High, said he constantly worries about student-athletes driving through that area to access Mylan Park.
Dave Bruffy, who represents Mountain Line on the board, reinforced those concerns.
“I’m probably the only person that’s almost died at that intersection,” he said of the policy board. “I was in an accident at that intersection. In order to provide service to that area, something has to be done to that interchange. I think it’s an important priority for the community.”
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