MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The meeting between Monongalia County commissioners and the state Division of Highways last Friday produced good results, according to commission president Tom Bloom.
Bloom said decentralization is part of the plan moving forward.
“They are now giving so much more autonomy to the district managers,” Bloom said. “So, now instead of us having to go to Charleston to get that decision, Darby Clayton and the others are able to make that.”
Bloom said the DOH has committed to meeting with the commission once a quarter and another semi-annual meeting with state-level DOH officials.
Bloom said for the first time the DOH has adopted standard practices to better evaluate the work process.
“Now we actually have something that we can say-here’s expected of you as district managers,” Bloom told WAJR Radio News. “Here is the minimum standard to do something, are you meeting those standards?”
Bloom said DOH officials have moved the $15 million Green Bag Road project to 2022. Bloom said officials have agreed to try to find a way to expedite the project.
DOH officials are at an impasse on the Mileground Road project, according to Bloom.
“They were having difficulty with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and the city on right-of-ways and there was a breakdown,” Bloom said. “And it has really jeopardized our effort to fix Mileground Road.”