DOH hopeful Easton Hill intersection project on schedule

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Officials with the Division of Highways are hopeful they’ve hit the halfway point in Easton Hill construction.

“First couple of days, and I think we emphasized this, there will be a learning curve,” District Engineer Don Williams said Friday on Morgantown AM. “We made adjustments. We looked at everything very closely.”

And with those adjustments, Williams said the project is running smoothly and appears to be on schedule — wrapping up just in time for the return of West Virginia University students on August 11.

“I really want to commend the people driving this,” Williams said. “They seem to have listened [and] stayed away from the area. Very patient. We’ve gotten very few phone calls. It’s been a good thing.”

The new interchange will intersect Cheat Road, Point Marion Road, and Mileground Road. Williams expects the completed project to significantly cut down on traffic time during football season. When finished, the new interchange will work to make a significant impact to curb what is considered “bottleneck traffic” at the bottom of the Mileground. It will allow commuters driving on the Mileground to go straight on the Mileground without having to deal with an extended wait at the traffic light. Commuters looking to stay on Route 119 through Point Marion Road will be able to join a bypass lane which will avoid Mileground traffic altogether.

“You’ll have a bypass lane,” Williams said. “If you’re going on Easton Hill, you’ll have to hit the light. I think it will make a drastic improvement to that intersection when it’s all completed.

Weather is a factor in determining the accuracy of the projected completion date. Other than heavy rain on July 29, Williams said the weather hasn’t been an issue for workers. The forecast moving forward indicates a possibility for a wet, rainy next week.

“Since [July 29th], the weather has been very cooperative,” Williams said. “The contractor seems to have a great plan in place.”

The DOH recommended a number of alternative routes to get into town while construction continues. Those include taking I-68 to the Sabraton exit and following through all the way into town. Additionally, commuters can turn off of the Pierpont exit and follow Canyon Road all the way to where it intersects Route 119.





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