They say the road to success is always under construction.
So too, it appears, is I-79 between Exit 155 and the Pennsylvania state line.
Except it’s not, and hasn’t been for years.
There are 10 flashing 55 mph speed limit signs on both sides of that 6-mile stretch. There are “Road Work Ahead” signs at the Star City and Mount Morris, Pa., on-ramps.
But the road work the signs are warning of — a $16,894,660.22 reconstruction of the interstate with a nine-year warranty — was declared “substantially complete” by the West Virginia Division of Highways on Jan. 8, 2019.
And that’s when the problems started.
In the months that followed, the DOH identified a number of issues with the work performed by Bridgeport-based Bear Contracting and ultimately resorted to levying daily penalties which ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars by that summer.
That appears to be where things still stand, and why the signs still stand.
“The reason why the lights are still up there is because the DOH is in a dispute with the paving company,” Monongalia County Commission President Tom Bloom said. “So technically, the way I would look at it is, if they take the signs down they’re agreeing the project is done.”
So, if the interstate is marked with 55 mph speed limit signs for construction that’s not occurring, are drivers expected to abide by them?
“Technically yes. That speed limit could be enforced,” a representative of the West Virginia State Police explained. “Is it something we’re actively enforcing? No.”
The DOH did not respond to questions for this report.
