I’m pretty sure the first part of this blog will have about as close to universal agreement as anything I’ve ever written. And considering you can post just about anything and someone is offended or argumentative, you should know what’s to immediately follow is something I’m certain about.

 

The intersection of U.S. Route 50, Emily Drive and Platinum Drive, well, is not good. Okay, let’s do this without being polite. The intersection sucks.

 

As for the rest of this blog, there’s probably a lot of points some may not agree on. That’s okay, because eventually – eventually – something is going to have to be done there.

 

I bring this up on the heels of last week’s story on Connect-Bridgeport regarding Kroger relocating into the property that once housed the Super Kmart at the Eastpointe Shopping Plaza. While everyone debated the merits of the move (a lot of people always believe they know development better than developers investing millions in their communities, but I digress), many people among the tens of thousands of people that clicked on the story brought up something that was mentioned in the piece.

 

Bridgeport Community Development Director Andrea Kerr said in the story the only concern she had was traffic going into the area and an increase in problems. Many echoed the statement in the comments across our social media platforms.

 

With utility plans filed in Bridgeport (Eastpointe gets its water and sewer services from Bridgeport, thus the filing of plans), it means the clock is ticking for a new store that will draw thousands of cars in and out of the area near the entrance off Route 50 to Eastpointe.  Does anyone think adding traffic there is a good thing?

 

Kerr’s concern is legitimate for Bridgeport, Clarksburg, Harrison County or anyone venturing through that intersection. It’s a mess right now, and that’s without what will soon to be a whole new set of vehicles looking for access.

 

There are several times on any day traffic backed up from the intersection all the way past the Enterprise Car Rental. Then you have a clearing and traffic is often backed up at the next main stop light. That stop light is where a lot of traffic exits and enters the existing Kroger and it’s now going to be added to the traffic near the main intersection.

 

Just how problematic is the intersection in terms of accidents? During a public meeting Wednesday at the Bridgeport Municipal Complex, City Engineer Beth Fox explained a study was done for accidents. The numbers were what most might expect – not good.

 

“There were 140 accidents (at that intersection) in one year,” said Fox.

 

Don’t blame Bridgeport for this. Don’t blame Clarksburg for this. And to be honest, the initial engineer that designed the entrance only designed it for traffic to go to the original plaza hosting Kmart. It was never meant to handle the traffic flow it handles now. It’s also hard to totally blame the state because this is a fix that’s going to be costly, but the state is ultimately where responsibility lies because Route 50 and Emily Drive are part of their system to maintain.

 

I’ve suggested before in this very blog that with Gov. Jim Justice’s “Roads to Prosperity” multi-billion-dollar bond program doing projects in every county scheduled to redo the entire Route 50-Interstate 79 interchange that this intersection should be included. Just doing it while all the equipment is mobilized for that massive project would save millions.

 

The reason I believe it needs to be included in such a massive project such as Roads to Prosperity is simple. This is not a simple fix. Kerr is correct when she said Wednesday that the DOH (West Virginia Division of Highways) believes traffic can be handled by better timing with the lights is incorrect. It can’t. That’s been done several times. While it may alleviate the problem slightly, it’s never fixed it.

 

This is going to take a massive redo and millions upon millions of dollars. It’s going to take time and cause a lot of headaches if that time if funding is ever done. Yet, how many years of 100-plus accidents will it take for the state to act?

 

“This is a dog eat dog intersection,” said Fox, who added it’s often so bad that it “prevents people from going to Eastpointe.

 

As busy as Eastpointe and its neighbor NewPointe are, it would see even more shoppers if the access was easier.

 

“It’s a mess. I don’t know how to fix it,” said Fox, who is a P.E. who has experience working for the Division of Highways.

 

Bridgeport wants it to be good for safety purposes, to keep its neighbor Clarksburg’s massive retail plaza healthy and provide a safe torrent for travelers utilizing Platinum Drive off the intersection. Platinum Drive and all the businesses are in Bridgeport.

 

Fox was explaining this to Congressman David McKinley at the city building Wednesday when he was there to meet with the city and anyone from the public and talk development. Fox and McKinley looked at a map showing the intersection in question. Although he said the federal government provides funding to states to fix roads (Route 50 is a federal roadway), they don’t necessarily like to tell the state how to spend those dollars.

 

A short time later, as you’ll read, he made sure the proper person knew about the intersection.

 

Ironically, McKinley was aware of the intersection. In fact, he talked about a friend he knew – after a meeting they were both at in this area – engaging the intersection and seeing them run a red light there.

 

“I was like ‘oh my God.’ It was like watching something in Hollywood how she weaved her way through traffic coming in both directions and she cut right through,” said McKinley. “I didn’t know it was this bad.”

 

McKinley not only promised to call West Virginia Department of Transportation Secretary Byrd White about the issue as well as a few others, but he broke out his cell phone and called him during the meeting – and had it on speaker phone. Primarily, he wanted to see if several projects city folks brought up were on the list of priority projects by the WVDOH.

 

While White didn’t offer any promises or timelines, he did say he was aware of the intersection. That said, I’m aware I’m out of shape and not doing anything about it so awareness is only the first step.

 

The next step is fixing it before the same intersection and area starts seeing a couple hundred accidents per year. And almost assuredly, a few will include fatalities.

 

At this point, keep leaning on your local municipal and county officials to stay in touch with the WVDOH and the Department of Transportation.  Bridgeport has met almost a half a dozen times with them in the last two years, including Mayor Lang meeting with White the same day McKinley was in Bridgeport. Clarksburg has met with them as well. Perhaps a united effort with the Harrison County Commission wouldn’t be a bad thing. If they go, discussion on the opposite side of that intersection (the Route 50 and Lodgeville intersection) may not be a bad idea. That is a topic for another day, another blog.

 

McKinley recommended something else that could prod the financial pony needed to make a fix a reality. He said to contact your local delegates and senators and let them know as well. He said it’s not a guarantee, but it also can’t hurt.

 

He’s right. As Council members John Wilson and Don Burton said during the meeting with McKinley, the adage about the “squeaky wheel” applies. And it needs to apply soon, or the only wheels people will talk about will be those crushed during an accident at an intersection not properly designed for the traffic flow it sees.

 

I hope we can all agree on that.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo is an aerial view of the intersection, while the second photo shows the chaos of the Emily Drive-U.S. Route 50 intersection with Platinum Drive added to the mix. The third and fifth photos show accidents in the day and evening, respectively, as time is generally a moot point. In the fourth photo, City Engineer Beth Fox points out the intersection on a map to Congressman David McKinley, right, as Jacob Griffith with the City Engineer's office looks on.