In this report from MetroNews, traveling the I-79 corridor through Harrison County has been a commuter’s worst nightmare since April 10; an ambitious construction project, drivers failing to follow instructions in high traffic zones, and at least two vehicle accidents have led to miles of slow-moving traffic for hours at a time.

 

“A lot of traffic and a lot of people not really understanding where they are supposed to be navigating towards,” Clarksburg resident Skyler Drago, who commutes to her job in south Fairmont during the week, said Friday. “There’s a lot of confusion about what lanes are open and what lanes are closed.”

 

She said it’s begun to improve during her afternoon commute home on I-79 south bound, but feels fortunate she hasn’t lived the traffic horror stories she’s heard from friends and family.

 

“The first time when the traffic first started to pick up, it was really, really bad because of the fact the way the lanes were closed down,” she said. “There was one open lane in the middle, but there were two closed around it. It was very confusing.”

 

“These projects are necessary, and we need to do them for a reason,” WV Department of Transportation spokesperson Carrie Jones said Thursday on “The Gary Bowden Show” on the AJR News Network. “And, yes everybody, it’s an inconvenience. People gripe about it, but you also gripe about the potholes."

 

Click HERE for the rest of the report.

 

Editor's Note: Photo and story by Alex Wiederspiel.