After months of accidents and deaths, bids to construct median cable barriers
along a dangerous section of I-64 go out today.
According to West Virginia Division of Highways Project manager Denny Alderson,
the barriers will be installed between the 17th Street West and 29th Street exits.
A study reported that 945 wrecks happened on a 28-mile stretch of I-64 between
Milton and the Kentucky border between 1998 and 2001. Seven Hundred Thirty Seven
of those accidents involved vehicles entering or crossing the center median.
Awareness was heightened about the dangers of the interstate last winter when
seven people died in four accidents over a six week period.
Reaction from the public to the news of the bids was positive, though people questioned
the delays in the project that was scheduled to start in late July.
"It's about damned time," said Asley Burton, of Wayne, "How many
people need to die out there before the government says, 'Oh, I think we have
a problem here?' It's deplorable that so many people have been killed."
"They should have fixed it years ago," said John Waltham, of Huntington.
"It's terrible design having a freeway with no center divider on a curve.
You're begging people to lose control and hit head-on. My 10-year-old can design
a safer freeway."
WVDOH District 2 Engineer Wilson Braley admitted, "It took longer than anticipated
to complete plans for this project." But, he added, "This project is
still a priority for us."
Construction is projected to start in October and finish in mid-December, according
to Alderson. It involves the widening of several bridges, but is not expected
to cause traffic delays.