BELVA, W.Va. — The state Division of Highways expects more slips and slides this week with afternoon temperatures predicted to top out in the 70s.
“The air is warmer but the hillsides are still cold and as the sun begins to warm them up then you’re going to see many of our mountains fall out themselves,” DOH spokesman Brent Walker predicted.
Crews were reviewing a mudslide on Route 16 in Fayette County near Belva Tuesday. The DOH was alternating motorists through the area by midday.
“We’re assessing the situation trying to see what the best band-aid fix may be so we can get that road (fully) open,” Walker said.
It’s been a tough winter for the DOH when it comes to roads blocked with hillside debris. It began in the late fall with a major slide on Madison Creek Road in Logan County. It continued with a boulder that closed Route 3 in Raleigh County at Sundial for several weeks. There have been dozens more smaller problems.
“Slips and slides are just two of the things we just simply can’t predict,” Walker said. “We just have to react to them and make sure even though part of a hillside comes down we just have to make sure the rest of it is safe enough for travelers.”