I am not a design engineer. Nor a traffic engineer or a construction engineer. For that matter, I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

 

No, I’m just an average guy with the benefit of a blog who wanted to point something out. And understand what I’m about to write about isn't a criticism of any government official – appointed or elected – or anyone else for that matter. Rather, it’s an observation some may agree with and some may not agree with.

 

As many of you know, in the next few years there will be several projects as part of the “Roads to Prosperity” program that voters approved after Gov. Jim Justice got the initiative on the ballot as a constitutional amendment. In the interest of full disclosure, I voted for it and it will allow for the issuance of up to $1.6 billion in bonds to fund work in all 55 counties.

 

Harrison County has several projects. The biggest in the batch in the construction of a split diamond interchange for U.S. Route 50 and Interstate 79. Although the current Web site has the estimate as pending, earlier reports showed the project as costing tens of millions of dollars.

 

Cost aside, I’m wondering if it’s the most troublesome intersection. If you’re wanting my opinion, and that’s what you’re going to get here, it’s not.

 

That doesn’t mean it’s not the most troublesome intersection. It means I don’t think it is.

 

In my mind, you only have to go about 100 yards east of that intersection to find an intersection whose design has led to too many accidents to count over the years. It’s an intersection that leads to one of the biggest B&O retail bases for Clarksburg and also for parts of Bridgeport too.

 

If you haven’t figured it out, I’m talking about the U.S. Route 50, Emily Drive, Platinum Drive, Lodgeville Road mess. Mess is being conservative.

 

In fairness to the state and the West Virginia Division of Highways, they did not design the main culprit of the intersection’s problem. The area in question is entering and exiting Route 50 onto Emily Drive. The design was done during the beginning of Eastpointe as a retail plaza and the man who designed it explained to me years ago it was only designed to handle traffic for the area that houses Kmart and not much more.

 

That changed. It changed a long time ago. It changed to the point the state took over possession of Emily Drive, I believe during the term of Gov. Cecil Underwood, and inherited a problem that doesn’t seem to be getting any better over time.

 

There have been efforts in recent years to do a better job with the timing on the lights. Honestly, I think the effort has worked. At times, the traffic flow is much better and the road rage is down – at least when I’m out and about – to tolerable levels.

 

That said, even with all the timing at the intersection figured out to a better extent, the heavily utilized intersection is still a problem. There are still too many accidents and other issues that have needed addressed for decades that can only be addressed by a massive road project.

 

I say that knowing, full well, that there may not be any good options available. If there is, this should be the priority as opposed to the Route 50, Interstate 79 interchange.

 

Sure, accidents happen there as well. And sure, there are traffic backups. But how much of it is fostered by a bad intersection? I don’t have that answer and perhaps I’m wrong, but I just don’t think they compare.

 

If it's being done to alleviate traffic, I don't see a problem. I frequently travel the area during morning and afternoon and evening heavy traffic flows and the wait is sometimes a minute or two longer at its worst - barring an accident.

 

I've never been told to avoid the Route 50-Interstate 79 intersection. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told by people they avoid going into Emily Drive and the intersection with Route 50 if at all possible. The reason is always the intersection and the traffic. And yes, I know there is a secondary entrance to the fertile business area, but it’s the one off of Route 50 that’s the issue.

 

If the intersection is, in fact, deterring people from going there to spend their dollars to the benefit of those businesses located in that area and ultimately the coffers of Bridgeport and Clarksburg, there’s an economic reason to do it as well.

 

While too many people think it’s the government’s responsibility to recruit business, I’ve always disagreed with that. It is government’s responsibility to make their environment attractive enough that businesses and customers want to come there.

 

The argument could be made that the businesses in those areas are doing fine and that would be hard to dispute on many fronts. Yet could they, or should they, be doing better? I’m thinking it could be better; a whole lot better.

 

And while we're at it, is the I-79 and Route 50 intersection more problematic than issues faced at Route 50 and Davisson Run Road. The horrible intersection has seen tragedy after tragedy and more than one alteration with the issues continuing. If you want to post that one ahead of the one planned, by all means. 

 

I traveled that road for years as a student at Liberty High School. It was dangerous then. It's dangerous now. 

 

I also wasn't a traffic engineer then. I'm not one now. I digress.

 

Currently, the Web site the state has for the “Roads to Prosperity” lists I-79/Route 50 project in early design phase. It also lists the start and finish date as pending.

 

If that’s the case, perhaps those with stroke should see if the other intersection just up the road should be done instead or maybe the one along Davisson Run Road in the opposite direction. I’m not the person with stroke. Just a person with a blog and an opinion.

 

I hope if either haven't been considered perhaps they should. If there’s ever going to be a fix, this is the pool of money that can get it done. Once it’s dried up, neither may never find a way to get fixed. Then again, as I've already said, I’m not an engineer.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows an aerial shot of the I-79 and Route 50 interesection. Second photo shows one of several wrecks at the intersection of Route 50-Emily Drive-Lodgeville Road, while the third photo is an aerial shot of that intersection. Bottom photo shows traffic at the Route 50 and Emily Drive intersection. All photos, minus the second photo, by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com.