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They are largely reactive. Proactivity is just not in WV DOH's dna. There are a lot of problem with roads in this state that could be avoided if they'd just keep ditches and drains clear.
I'd be happy to pay more at the pump too in road tax if we could make some progress.
Absolutely. One way I can be proactive myself is to remind posters that if water is coming off a homeowner's driveway onto the road the DOH WILL pay for labor if you ask. (this of course doesn't apply to all of the public ROW ditches that the DOH needs to maintain anyway but will help)
A friend of mine moved to River Road and lives on a steep hill with a gravel driveway and a lot of water was draining onto the road. This is especially noticeable this time of the year as it will ice over. The DOH told him that if he paid for the pipe (they gave him a name of a company and he put it on his CC - DOH picked it up too - it was about $150) they would install it at no charge with a drainage grate over top.
In my neighborhood -even being short handed- the DOH did a neighbor of mine's this summer. It was the WORST turn in my area as it was a total sheet of ice in winter. They did a fantastic job as this nightmare of a curve is now DRY in the winter. It pays to talk to your neighbor's if they have this issue as they may not be aware the DOH offers this service.
I-77 bridge over Rt 50 in Parkersburg also had a piece of concrete fall. It did damage a vehicle underneath. Thank goodness for no injuries.
I also saw that a hole developed on I-64 and there is a detour for the next 48 hours to repair the hole.
This is exactly the type of things that happen when we accept all the federal money to build and think we can afford to keep them up. The same thing could easily happen with the road bond projects that are new builds.
We do need to fund the upkeep much better than we have in the past but we all seem to complain with each additional or increased tax. We get what we pay for most of the time.
People complain about public employees but several DOH districts go without workers due to the non-competitive pay scales with private industries. Seems like a little puppy chasing its tail......
Good thoughts here. I have been following state news and there have been quite a few road closures all over due to similar issues. Regular sealing would help tremendously to extend the life of our bridges and concrete roads. When I called the FHWA office a few years ago they told me that federal funds would help pay for routine maintenance too. Like Mensaguy said, and it's also mentioned in the link I posted, some work is covered by the feds at 90%.
We do need to factor in what we are building. Can we afford to maintain it 10 years from now? Hmmm...Definitely a good question. You are also correct about the pay scales. We used to have a full staff in Mon County not long ago. Many are retired now. Just over a decade ago I would see them routinely sweeping debris from bridges and overpasses every spring. They look terrible now.
Having a full staff means you can put that staff in the area they live and travel. If they have family in the area they work, the potholes WILL get fixed and the roads will get plowed in winter for safety of the people they know if nothing else.
I am snowed in today so it got me thinking about a time over 10 years ago when I was shoveling snow in my driveway and a DOH plow truck driver stopped and asked me what happened to my dog. My 13 year old collie had died but had spent most winters waiting outside for the plow truck to come by so he could chase and bark at it along my fence line. LOL. He never spent a night outside but it was all I could do to get him inside by midnight as he was waiting for the plow truck. Little did I know, all the drivers knew him and offered their condolences when they didn't see his presence.
If this sounds hokey to some and all small town Norman Rockwell like LOL, I would take the recent past over what we have today. At least we knew who was working at the DOH as they lived in our neighborhoods. The plow drivers knew every road like the back of their hand and would alert the patching staff in spring about problem areas. "We" never needed to call and report potholes like we do today. Those guys are older and most are retired by now. They all made a decent living back then - not rich of course - but could afford a modest home or rent. The people working there now have been polite to me too even though I complain constantly. They say they can't keep up with our areas growth due to lack of staff, funding, issues with lack of county zoning, etc. All of this rapid growth here started in the mid 2000's and the DOH has lost staff every year since. It's really our most pressing issue locally that desperately needs addressed.
Last edited by motownnative; 02-07-2020 at 12:53 PM..
I-77 bridge over Rt 50 in Parkersburg also had a piece of concrete fall. It did damage a vehicle underneath. Thank goodness for no injuries.
I also saw that a hole developed on I-64 and there is a detour for the next 48 hours to repair the hole.
This is exactly the type of things that happen when we accept all the federal money to build and think we can afford to keep them up. The same thing could easily happen with the road bond projects that are new builds.
We do need to fund the upkeep much better than we have in the past but we all seem to complain with each additional or increased tax. We get what we pay for most of the time.
People complain about public employees but several DOH districts go without workers due to the non-competitive pay scales with private industries. Seems like a little puppy chasing its tail......
I'm usually not big on tax increases but I'm 100% willing to pay more for quality infrastructure. I think the resistance from a lot of people comes from that fact that inevitably some of the money will go to pay for a 4 lane highway to an abandoned strip mine for a tech park that will never happen or that not enough of the money stays local to their districts and they can't see improvements, in real-time, to the things they care about.
So a rockslide happened today on Mon Boulevard. Boulders struck a vehicle and a PRT cart.
You'd think the State/City would build a wall or guard fence to keep the rocks off road instead of 3 foot high jersey barriers.
I’ve always wondered why they haven’t done more than those hideous broken concrete barriers they kind of just drop off in the grass. It’s not like this doesn’t occurs every single year (granted not as bad as today’s incident normally).
Before the inevitable development boom hits the western part of Morgantown, the county ought to make sure Little Indian Creek Road is upgraded to a standard highway size to handle the traffic between Route 7 and US 19. Perhaps widen Sugar Grove Road to highway standards to handle increased traffic from Cassville to US 19/Chaplin Road. All of that farmland is ripe for housing complexes and tract homes once WestRidge is fully operational.
I just hope the County has a plan so we don't have another repeat of the mid 00's boom in eastern Morgantown where we had cattle paths such as West Run, Canyon Run, Van Voorhis, and the other 'roads' around Cheat Lake become major thoroughfares with no upgrades whatsoever.
Before the inevitable development boom hits the western part of Morgantown, the county ought to make sure Little Indian Creek Road is upgraded to a standard highway size to handle the traffic between Route 7 and US 19. Perhaps widen Sugar Grove Road to highway standards to handle increased traffic from Cassville to US 19/Chaplin Road. All of that farmland is ripe for housing complexes and tract homes once WestRidge is fully operational.
I just hope the County has a plan so we don't have another repeat of the mid 00's boom in eastern Morgantown where we had cattle paths such as West Run, Canyon Run, Van Voorhis, and the other 'roads' around Cheat Lake become major thoroughfares with no upgrades whatsoever.
Good point, but if we have to depend on the retards operating state government who make big city wages but who have Hooper Holler capabilities and inclinations, nothing of substance will happen regarding infrastructure. We have to depend on ourselves around here. South of Sutton, this state is seemingly permanent Beau Duke country, and they will continue to shove money into those economic black holes.
New telephone poles are being installed along the Mileground. The process of relocating the utilities has begun. Definitely interesting to see how wide the new configuration will be.. I suppose some buildings (tire shop, car wash, BFS) will probably be demolished.
I know its a major expense has additional technical issues...but man would it be nice if the utilities along mile ground were under ground.
That stretch is a freaking eyesore. In for a penny, in for a pound - now is the time to do it even with the extra expense. Maybe some of that billion dollar road bond can be put to use in Mon county.
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They say they can't keep up with our areas growth due to lack of staff, funding, issues with lack of county zoning, etc. All of this rapid growth here started in the mid 2000's and the DOH has lost staff every year since. It's really our most pressing issue locally that desperately needs addressed.
