Update:
If you've driven I-79 recently you may have noticed a new sign that reads ‘Exit Only.'
The Division of Highways said that doesn't mean the current widening project is almost finished.
It's still expected to be finished next May.
We're told the project is now at the point of 'waiting out the weather.'
Original Story:
Jerry Loyd drives up and down Interstate 79 from his home in Mount Clare every day.
But he doesn't mind the widening construction that has decreased the speed limit to 55 mph.
"During the winter time there have been several wrecks. I think it'll be a lot easier for people getting on and off," he said.
But Loyd and other drivers are going to have to wait a little longer now for that convenience; a $6 million project in Harrison County expanding I-79 to three lanes on each side will now take until May of 2012.
"There were some changes made," said Greg Philips of the W.Va. Division of Highways. "There is a lot of internal work in the widening project with the drainage systems that have to be put in. and of course it is time consuming."
The widening is necessary now because of the growth of the Harrison County corridor, largely due to traffic in the Eastpointe and New Pointe areas.
But the DOH said it's also necessary now to ensure that the growth continues. It's also building a new rest stop at the Meadowbrook exit.
Phillips said the rest stop is on target to finish in October of next year. He saw both projects as helping the state's economy.
"Nothing is more important to us than seeing West Virginia grow and seeing good roads. And tourism is an important part of West Virginia," he said.
"It needed it because it had been a while since it had been built. it was built in the 70s," Loyd said.
The DOH said the federal stimulus package allowed it to complete its construction.
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