SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Division of Highways Chief Engineer Joe Pack says they’re getting closer to a long-awaited $47 million South Charleston roadway project to finally come to fruition.
Pack came on 580 Live Wednesday morning to give an update on the ongoing Jefferson Road project which is reconfiguring the road between U.S. Route 119 and U.S. Route 60– from Corridor G to MacCorkle Avenue in South Charleston.
Once complete, the project is expected to include a new bridge over the Trace Fork gorge as well as a roundabout to continue to ease traffic congestion in the area.
Joe Pack
Pack said the project is part of about a 20 year old vision out of Governor Jim Justice’s Road to Prosperity program that began around 2017 addressing longtime projects in the area that had gone untouched for years due to the the inability to construct them– until now.
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He said it may have taken a while, but the Jefferson Road project is really coming along.
“At this point we are seeing that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel on that project and it’s one of several of our larger projects that fit under that program that we’re seeing come to a completion soon,” Pack said.
Pack said later this summer the DOH will transition traffic onto the new bridge once it’s complete so they can begin construction on the roundabout.
Pack said the new roundabout is expected to change traffic conditions to be more consistent in the area and reduce accidents.
He said when they’re transitioning traffic from the new bridge onto Jefferson Road construction has to be continued on the hillside, but when that’s complete, the intersection there will be more functional and provide a more fluid movement of traffic.
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Pack said these transitions are leading up to the last final pieces of the construction before it’s all complete.
“It will be transitioning traffic existing surfaces onto new surfaces so we can do other expansion,” he said. “That’s going to happen over the next 10 to 12 months before complete, but everyone should be able to look around when they’re driving through the area to see you know the fruits of a lot of hard work being done.”
In October of 2023 Governor Jim Justice met with DOH officials to cut the ribbon on the new $11 million RHL Boulevard project that was completed in that area. It provided a new access road and 420-foot bridge also spanning the Trace Fork canyon leading over to the Trace Fork Shopping Center in Corridor G.
That project was in conjunction with the overall Jefferson Road project.
Pack said the RHL Boulevard has already proven to be such a relief to traffic congestion, but it’s only a small piece of the pie compared to what the whole project will offer once it’s all complete.
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“It will be such a more fluid flow of traffic and a situation where you won’t just have to come to constant stops due to traffic congestion,” he said.
Pack said they have completed each portion of the project in phases so that people could continue to utilize the roadways in that area, a system they will continue to do even in the last major portion of construction.
He said they will continue to rely on making traffic shifts throughout the rest of the process to maintain the flow.
“It’s very carefully staged and laid out so that disruptions to the normal flow of traffic is minimized, however we can’t eliminate it simply because we’re doing a significant amount of work,” he said.
Pack said a lot of the changes drivers will be seeing will occurr in late summer, early fall with the overall final completion of the project being set for late spring/ early summer of 2025.
The West Virginia Mountaineers (10-3) welcome the Maryland Terrapins (10-5) to Kendrick Family Ballpark Tuesday afternoon the first encounter between the two programs since 2023 and the first meeting in Morgantown since 2018. The first pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. EST and the action will stream on ESPN+.
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The Mountaineers captured their fourth consecutive series of the season after taking two of the three games from Columbia over the weekend. West Virginia sophomore Matt Ineich and senior Brodie Kresser both blasted grand slams during the series. Ineich lifted WVU in game two with a walk-off grand slam in the 10th in game two, and Kresser ignited a 16-1 rout, capping a six-run second inning in the series finale.
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Gavin Kelly leads West Virginia at the plate with a .436 batting average with a Big 12 leading nine doubles. Ineich and senior Paul Schoenfeld has raked in a team-leading 16 RBI apiece, while senior Matthew Graveline has clubbed a team-high three home runs.
On the mound, West Virginia is expected to start sophomore David Hagen. The right-hander has made four appearances on the season, including one start. He last started in the home-opener against Ohio where he pitched two scoreless innings and recorded a strikeout to collect his first win of the season. He holds a 1.00 ERA with five strikeouts on the season.
After starting 3-4, Maryland is 7-1 in its last eight games. The Terrapins won two of three at UNC Wilmington in the season opening series, followed by a midweek win against Georgetown before getting swept at Louisiana. The Terps bounced back with a pair of midweek wins versus Delaware and swept a one-win Wagner team.
Junior Brayden Martin is batting a team-best .443 to go with four doubles and 12 RBI. Redshirt freshman Ryan Costello leads the Terps in home runs (9) and RBI (21) and is third in batting average at .328, while freshman Ty Kaunus has a team-high seven doubles and has .269 batting average.
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Maryland is scheduled to start freshman Nic Morlang. The right-hander has four appearances on the season, including four starts. He allowed five earned runs in his appearances, coinciding with his two starts, in six innings of work. In his last two appearances in relief, He’s allowed one earned run on five hits.
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West Virginia leads the all-time series 8-5, including a five-game winning streak over Maryland.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a series of parties in Morgantown over the weekend.
Morgantown police officers, West Virginia University Police and state police responded to reports of overcrowded parties, underage drinking, physical altercations and multiple injuries.
Morgantown Communications Director Brad Riffie said several citations were issued for open containers and underage consumption.
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Two large parties were dispersed and six arrests were made without incident.
None of the reported injuries are believed to be serious or life-threatening.
The Morgantown Fire Department assisted in the operations.
Hancock County, WV — A Weir High School senior has been recognized as the 2026 West Virginia Student Journalist of the Year.
Hailey Hans was selected for the statewide honor after building a journalism portfolio since her freshman year. She also serves as the staff manager of Weir Student Media, where she oversees articles and is in charge of deadlines.
“When I was a freshman I was placed in the journalism one class, and I actually tried to get pulled from the class. But, then after I sat in the class and I learned a little bit, that’s where my love grew and then from there I continued to take classes, I helped pass a law, and I got to these national conventions. Where it just lit a fire inside me,” Hans said.
Hans is planning to attend West Liberty University in the fall to study education with a minor in journalism, with the goal of becoming a journalism teacher. She will now submit her portfolio for the national-level contest.
