FRANKLIN, W.Va. — A policy change for a Pendleton County construction site from the West Virginia Division of Highways is a welcome safety upgrade, but the top man for emergency management in the county said he wished more would be considered.
The DOH lowered the work zone speed limit on U.S. Route 33 on the east slope of Allegheny Mountain headed to Seneca Rocks. Crews are installing an enhanced guard rail system in a steep curve to hopefully address the potential for deadly accidents involving out of control semis. The change came after one of those out of control rigs crashed into the construction site earlier this month.
“At the district level they’re looking at potentially additional or improved signage on the mountain. For anything requiring realignment of the highway that’s going to be a decision that will have to be made in Charleston,” said Rick Gillespie, Pendleton County’s Emergency Services Coordinator.
Originally the work zone speed limit on the highway was 55 mph with a posted advisory of a safe speed at 25 mph. Since the accident, Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston ordered the speed limit in the construction zone for the duration of the project at 30 mph. The DOH will also add a second video message board to emphasize the need to slow down.
Gillespie, who was vocal about the safety issues on the highway, said the new speed limit will give law enforcement an opportunity to slow down traffic and may help with some motorists, but overall he worried it wasn’t enough.
“I think we’d be living in a dream world to think signs alone are going to fix this situation because there’s a lot of motorists out there who just don’t pay attention to the signage,” he said.
Gillespie previously indicated he wasn’t confident the current construction work would help a lot with truck safety. He advocated for a “catch net” system rather than the enhanced guardrail. But he said ultimately, there needed to be runaway truck ramps on the mountain, specifically in the three steep turns on the eastern side.
“They’ve all witnessed their share of fatal and serious injury accidents, so there are three problems that need addressed. The current construction project putting in the TL-5 barriers is addressing the first curve, but we woefully need some escape ramps,” he explained.
Gillespie has offered suggestions of how and where to install the escape ramps. He hoped DOH engineers would take a closer look at the idea and consider his suggestions.
“That’s my opinion and the opinion of several others. Corridor-H, the newest highway in the state, even it has runaway truck ramps so brighter minds than mine have determined escape ramps are a necessary tool on mountain highways,” he said.