WVNS

Turnpike construction set to begin Monday

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — The final round of construction for the Beckley Widening Project is set to begin May 15, 2022.

Paving will begin for an eight mile stretch beginning at mile marker 40. People on the roads will see lane closures Sundays through Thursdays for the next eight weeks.

Executive Director for the West Virginia parkways Authority Jeff Miller is stressing the importance of not speeding through work zones to keep roadway workers safe.

“The 15 miles per hour that its reduced to, 55 mph, from the normal speed limit for an eight-mile stretch is really not going to save you any time on your trip so please adhere to the speed limits through there, consider the people that are out there working, we do not want anything to happen to anybody through there,” Miller said.

Miller said State Police will be patrolling the construction zone to make sure drivers are going the speed limit and adhering to traffic rules until the project is completed. The expansion is part of Governor Jim Justice’s Roads to prosperity initiative to improve infrastructure across the Mountain State.