MORGANTOWN — “I’m glad you guys are sitting down.”
This is not what you want to hear when somebody is about to give you a number with a dollar sign in front of it.
Granville Mayor Patty Lewis used the line to brace members of the Monongalia County Commission on Wednesday before revealing the lone bid to construct two traffic lights along University Town Centre Drive came in at $1,590,900.
That’s more than double the $600,000-to-$700,000 anticipated price tag.
Green light, indeed.
The UTC traffic light saga stretches back to September 2021, when Lewis approached the commission about the need for two traffic lights — one where University Town Centre Drive passes between Walmart and the WVU Medicine facility, and another at the bottom of the hill, between Granville Square and Sesame Drive, which provides access to Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s and Panda Express.
It was explained that those two intersections, particularly the one at Sesame Drive, produce the most serious accidents in Granville’s jurisdiction due to a combination of speed and congestion.
Two months later, the commission, Granville and developer WestRidge walked away from a work session with an understanding that the cost of the lights would be split three ways between them.
It now looks like that split is going to be north of $500,000 each.
Lewis said the town has already put up roughly $50,000 for engineering services tied to the lights. She also said she would like to see more of the cost covered as infrastructure improvements by the UTC TIF district.
Regardless, the number doesn’t appear to be a red light.
“It’s not a deal breaker for Granville. We’re committed. We’ve got to do it,” Lewis said. “It’s unsafe. There are accidents, and I have to imagine some of those businesses are losing revenue from time to time because people just can’t get in and out.”
Commissioners Sean Sikora and Jeff Arnett echoed the mayor’s sentiments when asked if the price was too high to proceed.
“From one commissioner’s perspective, no. It needs to happen,” Sikora said. “These are two dangerous intersections that need to be addressed. One way or another, we need to figure out a way to address it.”
WestRidge President Ryan Lynch told The Dominion Post the developer remains committed to the project.
“While we recognize the importance of this project, it would be premature for us to comment on the bid amount announced today, as our staff has not yet had the opportunity to review the bid plans developed by the Town of Granville or the lone bid submission. What I can say today is despite the potential budget overrun, we remain committed to the project, and remain optimistic that through continued dialogue and cooperation we will reach a mutually agreeable path forward which serves the best interests of the community.”
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