MORGANTOWN — The Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board has adopted a new Transportation Improvement Program representing nearly a quarter billion dollars in transportation projects over the next five years.
The body approved the federally mandated document at its most recent regular meeting.
The MMMPO is charged with developing the TIP documenting the expenditure of federal funds on regionally significant transportation projects.
The MMMPO) was established in 2003 as required by federal legislation for any urban area with a population over 50,000. The two primary responsibilities of the MMMPO are the development of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan with a minimum of a 20 year planning horizon and the oversight of the use of federal surface transportation funds within the planning area.
The TIP is the mechanism by which progress on the more long term Metropolitan Transportation Plan can be measured. It also provides area stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback on the use of federal transportation funds.
The total funding for highway projects listed in the TIP is $227,089,008, with federal contributions comprising 81%, or $184,222,803. There are 41 distinct projects, including 6 district wide initiatives, including striping and bridge inspections.
The document includes $37.6 million for the new Morgantown Industrial Park access road and bridge spread across four years 2025-2029. A total of $29.5 for the new Harmony Grove interchange, including $25 million for the construction in 2031 and $66 million for the I-79 Exit 155 reconfiguration in 2029.
The TIP document can be viewed at plantogether.org.
In other MPO news, the policy board selected Morgantown Area Partnership CEO Russ Rogerson to serve as its chairman for 2025. Rogerson is a non-voting member of the board. Mountain Line CEO Maria Smith will serve as vice chair and Granville Mayor Patty Lewis will once again serve as treasurer.
