by Kate Evans
Work on a new four-way traffic light at Myers Road on U.S. 522 near Widmyer Elementary is expected to start within the next few weeks, said West Virginia Division of Highways District 5 Construction Engineer Daniel Watts last Friday.
The work consists of widening and foundation work for the traffic signal. P & W Excavating of McConnellsburg, Pa. will be performing the work, Watts said.
Watts said in a Monday email that the completion date is August 9 for the entire project. He said there is uncertainty about whether the traffic signal will be operational by that date due to the availability of materials.
“The signal pole for this project is a special order and requires additional time for fabrication,” Watts said.
Project delayed
The traffic light project was delayed last year due to right-of-way issues for one parcel of land that was needed to make left-hand turn lanes at Myers Road in the northbound and southbound lanes of U.S. 522. Highway officials acquired the land through eminent domain.
The parcel was a triangular piece of about 900 square feet of land on the southeast corner of Myers Road on the Dollar General side where some utilities are located.
Ken Clohan, West Virginia Division of Highways District 5 Traffic Engineer, had said previously that all right-of-ways had been resolved for the project and its turn lanes and that the project was getting ready to go out to bid.
The project
Clohan said previously the project is for a four-way traffic light with signal heads in all directions. The traffic light will have left turn lanes with left turn arrows for traffic that’s going northbound and southbound from U.S. 522 to turn onto Myers Road. The light will also have timing changes to accommodate the school bus rush.
Currently, a Morgan County Sheriff’s deputy often conducts traffic at the intersection during the school year to keep bus and school traffic moving.
The project also includes the widening of the west side of Myers Road for a right turn lane for traffic turning south onto U.S. 522.
