Highway damage believed significant from high water

This mudslide on Interstate 79 near the Amma exit closed the highway for several hours.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Once the water goes down, state Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox will get a better idea on how much damage was done by Tuesday’s flood event in the Mountain State but he already has an educated guess.

“It does sound like we’ve got some real heavy roadway damage in the Greenbrier area, Nicholas County. I understand parts of Fayette and Clay and in the northern parts of Kanawha County,” Mattox said.

Mattox almost closed Interstate 79 north of Elkview Thursday night. A detour using Route 19 through Summersville was ready to open when Little Sandy Creek began to slightly recede.

There were 8 interstate mudslides Tuesday, which is unusual, according to Mattox.

“We design the interstate system to take a 50-year storm. It’s very unusual that you get a lot of rain in a short amount of time,” he said.

I-79 was closed at mile marker 23 in Roane County for several hours Thursday following one of those mudslides.





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