WTOV TV9.. Moundsville-to-Morgantown Highway Still a Vision Updated: Tuesday, December 30 2014, 06:09 PM EST MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va. -- Its a highway plan thats been 20 years in the making -- a road that would connect Moundsville to Morgantown -- saving drivers a lot of time. As two new commissioners take over in Marshall County, those plans continue to evolve. Commissioner Bob Miller, who next month will be the lone holdover from this month on the commission, said plans for that highway expansion project are in the works. Miller said the road would go to the lower southeast corner of Marshall County then straight across to Morgantown, and meet up with a new interchange thats being built at Star City. He’s hoping the better-than-hour drive could be cut down to 20 minutes with the new highway from Moundsville to the South-East corner of Marshall County. He said he is working with the department of transportation and lawmakers to try and make the road a reality. Theyre working with me on legislation to take to Charleston that would allow counties for special infrastructure projects like this to utilize that 95/10 money toward projects like this,” Miller said. “And then it would turn over like any other interstate system, to the state and feds, and the plan we are looking at would totally be county funded.” Miller says he would like to see W.Va. 2 along the Ohio River turn into four lanes as well as expanding Interstate 68 from Morgantown to Cameron then to Moundsville. He says there has always been a great foundation for the highway, but never the funds. He also says the oil and gas boom has made the road a necessary project for Marshall County. Because of our blessing with oil and gas right now and these huge facilities -- these half a billion dollar facilities being built out in the middle of nowhere -- thats hard to access right now, and it’s expensive for companies,” Miller said. “If we build this road, it will be easier for them to do it and much more economical for companies and they will come.” Miller says the work would begin at both ends, meaning Cameron and Morgantown and meet in the middle. He also says he believes industry could build along the route. Were just laying the foundation with legislation that will not finalize that the road will be built,” Miller said. “That just gives us a foundation to build on.” Officials estimate it could take up to $5* million per mile for the I-68 expansion. More meetings are planned in the future. Note: *It is projected to cost much more than $5 million per mile. -Bob
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 03:37:07 +0000