FAIRMONT, W.Va. – Construction-induced traffic headaches will continue on I-79 in Marion County between the South Fairmont exit to the Millersville Road exit through October 2024.
DOH Interim District 4 Engineer Mike Daley said work began in July 2021 and the contractor has managed the keep the $72.5 million project on schedule.
“A lot of the road widening has been completed,” Daley said. “We’re in the process now of building bridges and even through the bad weather, cold weather our contractors are able to work.”
New Kensington, Pennsylvania-based Swank Construction is widening the entire section to six lanes in each direction and rehab work on six bridges. According to Daley, contractors will continue bridge work during the winter months.
“They’re forming, putting rebar in and getting things ready for the concrete,” Daley said. “It doesn’t seem like the weather has effected them that much, they’ve done a great job.”
The section of interstate was first opened in the late 1960s. Use of the corridor connecting Charleston, Morgantown and the Pittsburgh area has skyrocketed as population and commerce have increased.
“It’s needed because of the aging of the bridge structures and the increased capacity in the area we’ve seen,” Daley said.