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CHARLESTON -- The state Division of Highways is expected to go to bid on the next contract for the Kerens to Parsons section of Corridor H in September, officials say.
"The Roaring Run Bridge project will build a new bridge across Roaring Run Creek for a future Corridor H connector," a DOH press statement reads. "The project site is not far from the current site of the Cheat River Bridge project, and will be the last major bridge on Corridor H before the upcoming Mackeyville interchange and connector.
All environmental reviews and federal hurdles have been cleared by the project, according to the statement.
"One section after another, we're going to build this road," Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, P.E. Said. "Finally, we've jumped through all the hoops. We've satisfied all the federal bureaucracy, and we're ready to advertise this contract for letting."
Kerens to Parsons carries Corridor H through some of the most rugged terrain on the entire route, the statement reads. In 2015, Kokosing Construction Company Inc. was awarded a contract for $209.7 million for the grading, drainage, and construction work for the first section of the Kerens to Parsons project. Kokosing was awarded a contract in 2019 for the grading, drainage, and construction work on section two, with a bid of $175.7 million.
WVDOT also released a statement regarding a incident involving a crane at a Corridor H construction site in Tucker County last week.
"Contractors Triton Construction Inc. are investigating the cause of an incident with a bridge girder that occurred on the Cheat River Bridge project near Parsons on Monday, July 29, 2024," the statement reads.
"Triton vice-president Bruce Dunlap said two cranes were lifting a bridge girder at about 10:45 a.m. Monday when an apparent issue with one of the cranes left one end of the girder on the ground. No one was injured. Work in the immediate area has been halted pending the results of an investigation, and access to the work site remains restricted.
"A representative from the crane manufacturer was en route to the work site on Tuesday, July 30, 2024," according to the statement. "The public is asked to avoid the work site. WVDOT will provide updates as the investigation progresses. The Cheat River Bridge is an approximately $148 million project to build a 3,300-foot span linking the 15-mile stretch of Corridor H between Kerens and Parsons with the section between Parsons and Davis. Once complete, it will be among the longest bridges in West Virginia."
Corridor H begins near Weston and travels across central West Virginia, through Wardensville, to eventually link up with Interstate 81 in Strasburg, Virginia. The highway is expected to open some of West Virginia's most remote areas in Grant, Tucker, and Hardy counties to economic development and tourism, speed travel times through the mountains and provide a smooth, safe highway for travelers and local residents.
More than 120 miles of Corridor H is currently open to traffic, with about 30 miles left to complete. To date, more than $1.93 billion has been spent on the four-lane highway.