CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Drivers are seeing double along sections of Interstate 79.
New road signs that are part of a $1.4 million sign replacement project between Kanawha County and Clay County are being installed next to older, nearly identical signs for exits, mile markers and speed limits .
At a time of tight road budgets, state Delegate Gary Howell (R-Mineral, 56) questioned the allocation of funds for what appears to be a duplicate service.
“When people are saying, ‘Look, why are you doing this? We don’t want to do this. We want you to fill the potholes,’ at some point, you’ve got to listen to the people and say, ‘Maybe they have a point here,'” Howell said.
According to the state Division of Highways, the replacements are needed because the hundreds of older signs in place since the early 1990s are losing reflectivity.
A DOH representative was scheduled to talk more about the project on Tuesday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
Howell, chair of the House Government Organization committee, has asked the DOH for proof the signs are defective or hard to see and, because of that, in need of immediate replacement.
“We have a limited amount of money we can spend on roads and we need to look at these projects and prioritize,” argued Howell on Monday’s MetroNews “Talkline.”
“Is it more important to replace the 19.5 mile marker near the Clendenin exit or is it more important to fill a pothole? Those are the questions we need to start asking.”
A contractor from Ohio is putting up those signs between Charleston and Wallback. The work is scheduled to wrap up by year’s end.