For years, Bridgeport city leaders as well as elected and other officials at the county and state level have looked into the possible expansion of Barnetts Run Road from where it dead ends near Urse Honda to what is now Jerry Dove Drive and the still relatively new United  Hospital Center. And while the issue has not been in the headlines for some time now, Bridgeport City Council is hoping to bring it back to the forefront.

 

During a recent strategic planning session of Bridgeport City Council, the city’s governing body directed City Manager Kim Haws and staff to begin the process of reviewing how much effort and finances – if any – should be directed toward trying to get the project back in the crosshairs of the West Virginia Department of Transportation.

 

“This isn’t new from the standpoint that past Councils have discussed the opportunities that might be available if that roadway were extended from a transportation standpoint, from an emergency standpoint and from a development standpoint,” said Haws.

 

The good news is that when it comes to gathering data, Bridgeport officials won’t have to create the wheel. Haws said that even though it’s been a while, a regional transportation study has data compiled on extending that roadway as part of a 20-year West Virginia Division of Highways plan.

 

“That will be helpful to us, but it wasn’t necessarily a high priority then and it’s probably not a high priority right now,” said Haws. “It’s not been studied for some time and we’re tasked with looking at it because the climate surrounding the road and where it would exit has changed.”

 

The most notable change is the opening of the new United Hospital Center. Although alternate access routes are available to the hospital in the event of Interstate 79 being shut down between the Meadowbrook Mall exit and Jerry Dove Drive, the routes are time-consuming. Barnetts Run Road being extended would provide direct access with a significant reduction in time as opposed to going completely around the city.

 

“Certainly, we think the hospital will come into play and will likely be an active partner in us as we move forward in trying to make a case that this extension needs to be done if, in fact, what we study shows that it’s feasible,” said Haws. “The bottom line, though, is that it’s like everything else of this magnitude. It comes down to economics. If you look at the financial shape of the (Division of Highways, which falls under the DOT) for the last couple of years, you know that it’s really competitive to get a project like this. They’re battling financial issues with things like potholes so in order to even be considered it needs to be worthwhile, well studied and attractive.”

 

For those thinking it would be a city project, Haws said that’s not the case. He said the DOH would have to be on board in order to get the necessary state funds needed for a project of that nature as well as any federal funds that could be derived. Haws said the city certainly could contribute, but it would be a small portion of what would likely be a substantial multi-million dollar project.

 

Here’s what Haws does know: If it does happen, it’s not happening any time soon.

 

“The study is exploratory in nature. We need to get an updated cost evaluation. We need to see the availability of land adjacent to the road that would be expanded and how great is the opportunity for development there? We do know it makes sense from an emergency standpoint for UHC as well as the FBI, but would it drive additional development and growth from a commercial and residential standpoint,” Haws said. “You ask those questions and then you move on to the rights of way through that area. We know there are two or three points at which you can extend the road up to UHC.”

 

Haws said as this process gets started, one goal will be to determine the best area to extend the roadway. Part of that will be determined by speaking with property owners along the way.

 

“It’s a complicated process and I can assure you that it would be an expensive one. Again, assuming that this is deemed feasible, the city may have to be willing to contribute enough to it to make the DOH to look at it seriously,” Haws said.

 

Haws said the initial study will be done in house through the Bridgeport Engineering Department. He added that the previous study will assist in a report that he said he plans on presenting to Council and a yet-to-be-determined time in 2015.

 

“They can authorize the administration to drop the matter or move forward at that time. It may involve anything from lobbying our local delegation to the need to doing a study through a professional A/E firm,” said Haws. “Council, and rightly so, wants this – if it’s feasible – to be part of a longer term plan.”

 

Haws said this City Council sees what previous City Councils and others through the area see with the property. Now, however, they see the development and necessities for secondary access to Jerry Dove Drive as a potential trump card.

 

“Even without the emergency access issue, it’s easy to see why that land is so attractive. The visibility from the interstate makes it a very prime location for development,” said Haws. “Without access, development there will always be marginal at best. It’s our job now to see if it should happen and if so how can we make it happen.”