CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The decision by the state Division of Highways to lower the speed limit on the interstates through downtown Charleston is really about two things.
DOH spokesman Brent Walker said it’s to slow down motorists in an area where they have been recent devastating crashes but also to slow down motorists in connection with the $74 million Eugene A. Carter Memorial Bridge deck replacement project.
“As part of that work that’s being done (on the bridge), we are required by (the Federal Highway Administration) to provide a plan that slows traffic down,” Walker said.
Prep work is already underway on the Carter Bridge project. It will begin in earnest in mid-January and is expected to take all of next year to complete. Back-ups on either side of the bridge, which carries I-64 over the Kanawha River, could be two miles or more at times.
The Carter Bridge has more traffic than another other bridge in the state with approximately 100,000 vehicles daily.
Walker said Charleston police and state police will increase visibility to enforce the new speed limit.
“Our law enforcement partners are committed to enforcement and to provide safety like we are,” Walker said. “Travelers need to take notice.”
Walker said the new 50 mph posting will also help slow traffic down near the I-64/I-77 split where two crashes since August have claimed six lives after a pick-up truck and minivan plunged over the barrier wall to the ground below.
There are new caution signs heading into that stretch of highway. Work was also scheduled to begin Monday on placing down high friction surface treatment in some areas. Walker said there’s also going to be an engineering study to see if it’s possible raise the height of the barrier wall. Walker said that will take some time.
“If that barrier wall can handle some additional weight there are some things to consider,” Walker said. “We think slowing the traffic down will be a great start and we’ll see where they takes us.”
The official 50 mph zone outlined by the DOH includes:
Northbound/Westbound I-77 and I-64: Beginning approximately at the 35th/36th Street bridges.
Southbound I-77: Beginning at Westmoreland Road.
Eastbound I-64: Beginning between the Montrose Drive and Oakwood Road exits.