I-64 widening project details presented

KANAWHA COUNTY, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Drivers had their first opportunity to review proposed plans, ask questions and provide feedback on a major project what will eliminate one of the region’s largest bottlenecks.

It happened Tuesday during a virtual public meeting.

The Nitro-St. Albans interchange will be completely overhauled as part of a West Virginia Department of Transportation (DOT) plan that was revealed last November. The project will add one lane to each direction, in addition to new exit and entrance ramps in the congested area of Interstate 64.

Construction on phase one of the project is set to begin this fall with the erection of a new bridge next to the current Nitro-St. Albans bridge. The existing bridge will later be rehabilitated, allowing for three lanes of traffic to cross in each direction.

DOT documents said 70,000 drivers pass through this 3.8-mile section of four-lane road every day. The project aims to ease traffic backups, increase safety and promote economic growth in the area.

The first traffic pattern changes and detours are expected to begin in fall 2021 when phases two, three and four of the project are set to begin.

The DOT said drivers can expect the following significant changes to their daily commute during the project:

• Temporary weekend closures of the ramps at the St. Albans and Nitro interchanges. Detours during the ramp closures at the St. Albans and Nitro interchanges (detailed maps are posted on the project website).
• I-64 westbound traffic shifted to the median during the widening of I-64 westbound.
• Temporary single lane closures on Bills Creek Road during the reconstruction of the Bills Creek Road Bridge.
• Contra-flow westbound traffic patterns at the Rocky Step Road Bridge area during the construction of the new bridges.
• Traffic shifted to the outside shoulder during the construction of a new I-64 median from the St. Albans Interchange to the Nitro Bridge.
• Temporary single lane closures during the reconstruction of state Route 817.

The project is scheduled to be completed sometime in fall 2023 with the widening and reconstruction of the new state Route 817 from the expanded highway.

To access the materials presented during the virtual public meeting and submit a comment on the proposal CLICK HERE.

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