MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — State Senator Mike Oliverio, R-Monongalia, 13, is working with multiple partners to develop an improved maintenance procedure for one of the most traveled roads in the city. The corridor
On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” Oliverio said the proposal would cover the corridor from I-68, exit 7, to the Mileground through town and back to I-79 via Star City, which is used by 40,000 cars a day and even more when there are sporting events on the West Virginia University campus.
“I’m proposing an idea that we create what I’m calling a “High Maintenance Corridor” between the Star City exit and the Pierpont exit,” Oliverio said.
The plan would allow the city, county, and other signatory entities to assume maintenance and minor repair duties, taking the obligation off the state Department of Highways. The plan would allow maintenance or minor repairs to be done on an as-needed basis for WVU events or instances involving WVU Medicine or Vandalia Health, who both have major hospitals and clinics along the route.
“Instead of the traditional DOH requirements of their core maintenance plan, which involve cutting the grass twice a year,” Oliverio said. “We may want to cut the grass twice a month in that corridor, we may want to replace signage that falls down very quickly, and we may want to have sweeper trucks that sweep up that gravel.”
Oliverio would ask the DOH to quantify how much is spent each year for maintenance on the route and set that aside. Then the entities along the route would be asked to contribute to a fund that would be added to the DOH budget. The DOH would be asked to advertise a request for proposals, and the money collected would be used to pay for the work.
“Why don’t you allow us to go to the entities along that road and ask them to contribute to that road maintenance?” Oliverio said. “To West Virginia University, WVU Athletics, WVU Medicine, Vandalia, the city, the county, and other entities along that road.”
Once week-to-week maintenance issues are no longer a concern, local officials can turn their attention to value-added-type things along the route. Things like repairing signs, picking up trash, and keeping shoulders and median areas clear of gravel.
“Then all of a sudden we can do all of those additional things to make sure the road is safer,” Oliverio said. “To ensure it is marked properly, that is, cleaned up properly, on game day we’re buttoned up, that every home football game we’re ready, and make sure our school buses can travel safely.”
Oliverio said this is also an opportunity to do additional things during periods of bad weather to improve drivability. The DOH already maintains about 900 miles of Monongalia County roads, and this plan would provide them help in maintaining one of the highest-profile routes in the northern part of the state.
“But then also we want to address the safety concerns,” Oliverio said. “How can we make this 8-mile stretch of road that 40,000 cars drive on how can we make it safer?”
