WVDOH Details $57 Million in Road, Bridge Investments Across Clarksburg Area
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Roughly $57 million in road and bridge investments have been made or are underway across the Clarksburg area, state highway officials told Clarksburg City Council during its meeting Thursday.
West Virginia Division of Highways District 4 Manager Earl Gaskins said approximately $32 million has already been spent as the state works through a series of projects in and around Clarksburg.
The investments include the major reconstruction recently completed through downtown, ongoing bridge work, Interstate 79 improvements and additional paving projects planned throughout the area.
“All total, we're talking about $57 million worth of investments that we put into the community,” Gaskins told council.
One of the most visible projects remains the Second Street Bridge in downtown Clarksburg.
Gaskins said the bridge is now expected to be completed in October after crews discovered an elevation issue before pouring the concrete bridge deck.
Officials had hoped to complete the project before the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival, but Gaskins said crews stopped after identifying the issue rather than risk creating a structural problem with the finished bridge.
Crews are now finishing the correction and are expected to begin laying the deck around mid-September.
Gaskins said the goal is to finish the bridge by the middle of October, with Oct. 30 representing the latest anticipated completion date.
The state is also preparing for additional work along U.S. 50.
Gaskins said U.S. 50 will be paved from downtown Clarksburg to Interstate 79, one of the larger upcoming projects affecting drivers in the area.
Additional improvements are planned along Old Bridgeport Hill, continuing previous work from the Pike Street and Columbia Boulevard area toward the commercial district near Menards and the automobile dealerships.
Bridge work is also progressing elsewhere in the city, including the Fourth Street Bridge, where Gaskins said traffic control devices should begin coming down soon.
The state also has projects planned or underway around Mount Clare, Stonewood and Interstate 79.
Looking further ahead, Gaskins said WVDOH is considering additional improvements around the busy U.S. 50 and Eastpointe area, including widening a bridge and adding another traffic lane.
A larger bridge replacement project around Emily Drive is also being designed, although Gaskins said that work remains several years away.
The wave of highway construction follows extensive work through downtown Clarksburg that included coordination between WVDOH, the city and local utilities.
Gaskins acknowledged that the construction created inconvenience while it was underway but said residents are now beginning to see the results of the investment.
With approximately $57 million in transportation work completed, underway or planned, additional construction will continue to be visible throughout the Clarksburg area in the months ahead.
