MORGANTOWN, W. Va.–Many motorists have expressed concern about safety in the I-79 work zone in Monongalia County.
There have been a number of crashes where bridge decks are being replaced near the Gosh Road exit.
There were three serious wrecks that stalled traffic for hours in 2021 including one last week in the southbound lanes.
Other wrecks last year included a wreck in January where a semi-truck hit the median at mike-marker 141 causing a lane closure.
An August 2021 crash involved a semi-truck carrying coronavirus vaccine. It crashed on the northbound side of the project at mile marker 144. That crash resulted in a 21-hour closure of the road while crews conducted cleanup.
A wreck the following month, September 2021, at southbound mile marker 144 involving a semi-truck resulted in a multiple-hour closure for cleanup.
A caller to MetroNews “Talkline” after last week’s wreck said it’s been a dangerous for motorists.
“We’ve seen tractor-trailers, one after another, causing harm and I had a friend who was t-boned by a tractor-trailer in her SUV,” the caller said.
She said the construction zone is an elevated area that includes a sharp curve.
A statement from from DOH District 4 Engineer Mike Cronin indicated there’s nothing unique about the work zone.
“The lanes have been reduced to two 11-foot lanes from the 12-foot lanes that exist when there is no construction,” Cronin said. “This is the standard width for construction zones, and the same width as the construction zone in Fairmont also on I-79.”
Cronin urged the public to be aware in construction zones where things can happen very quickly, follow posted speed limits “keep heads up, phones down” to protect workers and others traveling through the work zone.