by Kate Shunney
Drivers are getting a feel for pieces of the 3.4-mile U.S. 522 Bypass these days, as small sections have opened or are being used as detour routes during bypass-related closures elsewhere.
Last Tuesday, traffic along U.S. 522 south of Sheetz was directed onto the semi-circle of a future roundabout with speed limitations and orange cones to guide travelers. When complete, traffic on the roundabout will either exit onto the new bypass or continue on the existing U.S. 522 going north or south.
A detour for residents along Sugar Hollow Road has been established on Johnsons Mill Road, directing drivers up that road and then onto lanes of the bypass to reach their homes to the east. Sugar Hollow Road was closed at the northern end early in the bypass construction, and its southern access is now closed to allow for construction of bypass lanes across it. When construction is complete, residents on Sugar Hollow Road will reach their properties over a level crossing across four bypass lanes.
Lane construction continues on Martinsburg Road where the bypass will have entrance and exit ramps, and on Fairfax Street, which was turned into an overpass above the bypass lanes.
Highways officials have not responded to a request for comments about where things stand on a timeline for opening this first section of the bypass.
A second section, known as the Northern Connector, will be built from Fairfax Street northward past War Memorial Hospital and back to U.S. 522 in the area of U.S. Silica sandmine property. A contract award to A.L.L. Construction for that section of the bypass said that portion of the roadway will be completed in 2026.
Berkeley Springs officials have said they will ask large truck traffic to stay on the existing U.S. 522 until the Northern Connector is complete. When the first section of the bypass opens, traffic at the northern end will either be directed to Martinsburg Road to continue eastward or down through Berkeley Springs to reach the existing U.S. 522.
