MORGANTOWN — According to the West Virginia Division of Highways, the Truist Bank building (formerly BB&T), at the corner of W.Va. 705 and Van Voorhis Road is not encroaching on state right-of-way.
That was news to members of the Monongalia County Commission.
“That’s a little surprising, because for over two years we’ve been talking about that property and how it sits on the right of way — and that’s information provided by the department of highways,” Commission President Sean Sikora said, adding, “Now, all the sudden, shazam, it’s not on our property. I guess the saga continues.”
The saga referenced concerns the design of a Van Voorhis widening project — specifically why the state is planning to use eminent domain to go after land on the west side of the road to facilitate the project when it owns right-of-way on the east (bank) side of the road.
The property owners to be impacted raised that question and others during a private sit-down with DOH officials, as well as before the Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board, of which all three commissioners are members.
According to the Monongalia County Parcel Viewer (District 15; Map 56; Parcel 1.1) the West Virginia Department of Transportation owns a 2,214-square-foot strip of property along the east (bank) side of Van Voorhis.
In a letter to Commissioner Tom Bloom, the current chairman of the MPO Policy Board, Secretary of Transportation Jimmy Wriston said that based on investigation and review, the Truist building is not encroaching.
“The existing DOH right-of-way on the east side (bank side) is occupied by utilities, such as power, telephone, cable, communications and fiber,” Wriston wrote. “Any widening to the east side would result in the relocation of these utilities, which will result in major cost and delay to the project.”
Further, Wriston said the DOH built a piling wall within the right-of-way on the east side of the road in the 1990s, and modifications to that wall or the bank building would further add to project costs.
“Based on this information, the widening as proposed on the west side is the prudent and feasible option under all given circumstances and challenges,” Wriston wrote. “Final right-of-way and construction plans will be available soon.”
The project will widen Van Voorhis between Killarney Drive and the intersection with W.Va. 705 to create an additional southbound through lane.
Asked if widening the road using land on the west side of Van Voorhis would substantially misalign the intersection, as has been claimed, Deputy State Highway Engineer Jason Foster responded, “The intersection as designed meets design standards.”
The project plans also include a larger refuge island in the intersection, which will shorten the pedestrian crossing. In addition, a sidewalk is planned along the west side of Van Voorhis, from Killarney Drive to Windwood Village. The sidewalk will then continue on the east side of Van Voorhis to a point south of West Run Road.
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