Initial Phase of Multi-Million, Three-Phase Upgrade on Jerry Dove Drive has Started; Project Totals $3.26M
By Jeff Toquinto on August 29, 2023
The first phase of a planned three-phase multi-million project is already under way in Bridgeport and will enhance traffic flow along State Route 279 with lanes being added as well as alterations to what’s in place.
Director of Planning and Engineering with Genesis Partners Rob Stuart confirmed the bid had been awarded by the West Virginia Division of Highways and is the reason equipment is in place along Route 279, also known as Jerry Dove Drive.
The first phase was recently awarded to Mountaineer Contracting, Stuart said. The project is for $3.26 million and will see the entire area from Jerry Dove Drive’s intersection with the entrance to United Hospital Center and White Oaks all the way to an area just past the Genesis Boulevard and Charles Pointe Crossing (Menards site) feature six lanes, which include turning lanes.
“We (Genesis Partners, the developers of Charles Pointe) approached the WVDOH about upgrades all along 279 to support all of the activity at Charles Pointe to the airport, and ultimately connecting the improvements to where it meets with U.S. Route 50,” said Stuart.
The first phase has been awarded and Stuart was not sure of a timetable on future projects. He said the three-phase approach was greeted warmly by the state and includes changes to the Interstate 79 and State Route 279 interchanges, traffic signal modifications at Genesis Boulevards, turning lanes and expansion of the bridge crossing I-79 to three lanes. Stuart said the bridge is already set up for three lanes.
Future expansions would encompass road widening and turning lanes into areas around Route 131’s intersections with Route 279, and the entrance to the new North Central West Virginia Airport. The city has secured a long-term plan for a massive upgrade to Route 131 that will be in the $55 million range (story HERE), and this will enhance that effort, while the NCWV Airport has been working with the state on planned improvements as well.
Eventually, said Stuart, the project will hit Route 50’s intersection near the Harrison-Taylor County line.
Although the entire project could take years to complete, the first phase will not. Stuart said there is an interim completion date set for Nov. 15 of this year.
“We’ve had tremendous support from our state and local leadership to move this along as they see the importance of this at both levels. They were all in. My hat is off to the DOH administration and staff to fast track this,” said Stuart.
Part of the reason for the fast tracking is it is not being entirely state funded as it is a public-private partnership. Gensis Partners, said Stuart, covered the engineering work done by Bridgeport’s CEC (Civil & Environmental Consultants), Inc. That contribution totaled $300,000, or nearly 10 percent of the entire project.
“This says a lot for the region,” said Stuart. “Getting the WVDOH, the state involved, and getting them to realize just how much growth in on the 279 corridor should have everyone pleased. The state’s commitment facilitates the growth and that’s good news for Bridgeport, the region, and the state.”
Editor's Note: Top photo shows equipment being mobilized at the entrance to Charles Pointe Crossing, while bottom photo shows equipment in place at the Interstate 79 northbound on and off ramps from Jerry Dove Drive.
