West Virginia

WVDOH official says ongoing $47 million Jefferson Road project in South Charleston is coming along – WV MetroNews

Published

7 months ago

June 6, 2024

WVDOH official says ongoing million Jefferson Road project in South Charleston is coming along – WV MetroNews

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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West Virginia

Oklahoma State basketball vs. West Virginia: Prediction, picks for Cowgirls-Mountaineers

Published

6 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma State basketball vs. West Virginia: Prediction, picks for Cowgirls-Mountaineers

STILLWATER — One quick look at the top part of the Big 12 women’s basketball standings tells you how big this West Virginia at Oklahoma State game is.

The Cowgirls (13-2, 3-1 Big 12) are tied for third place in the league with WVU (13-2, 3-1), and while there’s a lot of basketball left to be played, this game could be important as the standings shake out in late February.

Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:

A duel of conflicting strengths

Though OSU’s offense has been struggling lately, it still remains the best in the Big 12, putting up 84.4 points per game. West Virginia, on the other hand, is the second-best defense in the league, giving up just 51.1 points per game.

The Cowgirls’ recent shooting struggles are the bigger concern. They’ve scored just 66 and 64 points in the last two games, most recently defeating Cincinnati 64-48.

Can Anna Gret Asi heat up?

A key piece of Oklahoma State’s offensive attack is combo guard Anna Gret Asi, but the senior hasn’t been seeing shots fall lately.

Over the last two games, Asi is 1 for 16 from the floor and 0 for 12 from 3-point range. That has dropped her 3-point percentage from 42.9% to 37.1%.

Cowgirls must avoid turnovers

OSU’s guard-heavy lineup has been reliable in taking care of the ball this season, averaging just 14.2 turnovers per game.

That will be critical in holding off WVU on Saturday. The Mountaineers rank fourth nationally and well ahead of everyone else in the Big 12 in turnovers forced, causing 25.9 per game.

How to watch OSU-West Virginia women

The Cowgirls and Mountaineers will be broadcast on ESPN+ at 2 p.m. Saturday. Streaming for the game can be found here. The OSU radio broadcast will be on KGFY 105.5 FM.

Score prediction for OSU-West Virginia women

West Virginia 64, OSU 63: A few key Cowgirls, like Asi, have been cold from the floor in recent games, and that trend is sure to turn in their favor soon. But West Virginia’s defense might be catching OSU at the ideal time to steal a road win.

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West Virginia

Which NFL Franchise’s History Most Compares to West Virginia Football?

Published

16 hours ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Which NFL Franchise’s History Most Compares to West Virginia Football?

West Virginia is one of the most successful programs in college football history. As a matter of fact, they are the winningest team in college football without a national championship.

Is that a good thing? Well, yes and no.

It shows that the program has consistently won and is at a high enough level to be among the best programs in the country. However, it’s certainly not a label that Mountaineers fans are exactly proud of. The 1988 and 2007 seasons are still burned into the memory bank of WVU fans and getting back to the big dance in this day and age is a tall task.

The Mountaineers entered the 1988 Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame with an unblemished record and clobbered many of their opponents on their path to the big game. Unfortunately, star dual-threat quarterback Major Harris injured his shoulder on the third play of the game and wasn’t the same player the rest of the game. The Mountaineers would fall to the Fighting Irish 34-21.

In 2007, well you all Mountaineer fans know the story. But for those who don’t, West Virginia entered the final week of the season ranked second in the country and all they needed to do was beat a 3-8 Pitt team in the Backyard Brawl, at home, to secure a spot in the national championship.

The high-powered WVU offense went stagnant as star quarterback Pat White injured his non-throwing hand early in the game. White didn’t return until late in the fourth quarter and the Panthers were able to hang on to pull off the stunning upset, defeating the Mountaineers 13-9.

That was the last time WVU has been on the doorstep of a national title.

So, which team in the NFL has shared that same level of misery yet has been a consistently winning organization? That would be the Minnesota Vikings.

They have the best winning percentage of any team in the NFL who have yet to win a Super Bowl. Only the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, and Kansas City Chiefs have a better winning percentage, but they all have Lombardi Trophies.

Now, technically, the Detroit Lions have the most wins of any NFL team without a Super Bowl win, but they have a winning percentage of .455, so it’s not exactly an accurate representation of the success West Virginia has had at the collegiate level.

West Virginia

Cover WV aims to empower West Virginians with insurance knowledge

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2025

Press Room

Cover WV aims to empower West Virginians with insurance knowledge

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. (WBOY) — Dozens of locations across West Virginia participated in the second annual Cover WV Day on Thursday, where more than 20 organizations offered free assistance to those who need health insurance or feel they are underinsured.

According to Cover WV’s website, more than 100,000 West Virginians lack health coverage, so this event aimed to bridge the gap and answer questions. Community Care Bridgeport Case Manager Zach Morehead said that uninsured people is something that he and his team “encounter pretty regularly.”

“As we all know it can be very confusing so we’re happy to walk you through it step by step, you know, really, take the gloves off and explain everything to you as much or as little as you need,” Morehead said.

Even if you were not able to get to the locations on Thursday, places like Community Care will still be able to help you out virtually or in person until Jan. 15. Morehead recommended coming in earlier rather than later.

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