HANOVER, W.Va. — The West Virginia Division of Highways is helping Wyoming County prepare for the start of the new school year. Come August, Huff Consolidated Elementary and Middle School in Hanover will open for the first time for students in grades pre-K through 8.
The community is looking forward to a band new, state of the art facility. However there’s one problem.
“This project is basically about safety,” according to DOH Maintenance Engineer Alan Reed. “We have a new school that’s being constructed and we have to be able to get the school buses in and out safely.”
The entrance into the school, along U.S. Route 52, just isn’t bus-friendly. The DOH is dealing with a steep incline and only 100 feet separating the entrance, a stream and a railroad crossing.
“(The buses) could make it in and out but it’s very tight. It isn’t a situation you’d want to deal with day after day,” Reed said.
That’s why the DOH is spending $1.3 million to upgrade U.S. Route 52.
“We’re constructing a turning lane so the buses will be able to get out on the road,” said Reed. “We’re going to do some grade work to make it a better transition between the roadway and the entrance.”
The work got underway last month. Reed asked motorists to be patient while the highway is narrowed down to one-lane during the construction project. In the end, he said it will make for a much easier drive once school starts and buses are coming and going on a daily basis.
The goal is to have the project complete sometime next month.