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U.S. 30 work to continue into next year

CHESTER–Fresh from the resurfacing of the U.S. Route 30 hill in Chester, the state of West Virginia is planning more roadwork for the busy highway in the spring.

The unbonded concrete overlay project will result in a new surface from the West Virginia abutment of the Jennings Randolph Bridge to where the new pavement starts, said District 6 Construction Engineer Joe Juszczak of the West Virginia Division of Highways.

“Anything that’s concrete there now will be overlaid with new concrete,” Juszczak said.

The $4.3 million project will encompass the U.S. 30 westbound and eastbound lanes, the onramps and offramps, the median, a section of Old U.S. 30 and a section of state Route 2, he said.

The Route 2 (Carolina Avenue) portion of the project will involve joint replacement for the section between the ramps. “We can’t overlay that. We can’t raise the grades because of existing curbs and businesses,” he said.

A project proposal from the state notes that “drivers are now crossing the lane line and/or center line to find smoother pavement, raising the probability of collisions.”

The heavily-traveled sections of U.S. 30 and Route 2 have been rough going for motorists for some time. Juszczak said the existing pavement dates back to the 1970s and the construction of the Jennings Randolph Bridge, which opened in 1977 to replace the old Chester Bridge.

The state is moving forward with the project now because of obvious joint failure and slab failure. “It’s more economical to overlay it than to repair the slabs,” he said, noting that the overlay will require the median to be raised.

Traffic will be maintained during most of the project, except for a nine-day period when U.S. 30 will have to be closed. Work is scheduled to be completed by mid-August 2017.

Golden Triangle Construction, of Imperial, Pa., was awarded the contract and is expected to start in the spring, weather permitting.

A contractor’s meeting with public officials is scheduled for Dec. 6.

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