GRANVILLE, W.VA. –– After a delay of more than 18 months, work on two stoplights in the University Town Centre area has begun.
The poles were the latest item to bedevil the project. Mayor Patty Lewis said the poles arrived ahead of schedule, and Lost Creek-based Specialty Group Inc. (SGI) has started work on top of the hill at the entry from University Town Centre Drive to Walmart or WVU Medicine UTC. SGI is preparing the area for the pole bases to allow the concrete to cure before the poles can be set.
“The poles are here, so the manufacturer/distributor was able to get it to us sooner than we expected,” Lewis said. “At this point, we’re praying for good weather so the project can keep moving along.”
Among the delays for the project have been approval and clearing the location and spacing of the lights with the state Division of Highways, confirming the location of underground utilities, and delivery of the poles.
“We were hoping they would be in for holiday shopping, but that didn’t happen,” Lewis said. “But, that’s ok; we’ll have Black Bears, WVU Baseball, and the Town Center is always busy.”
Both are high-traffic areas that produce some of the most serious accidents in the Granville area. Temporary “right-turn only” signs have been placed in the past.
“We’ve got to make sure everyone is safe traveling that road,” Lewis said. “The increase in the traffic on that road has become a problem, and we were aware of the problem.”
Next, Lewis said SGI will move down to the Sesame Drive area to begin work at that location. The value of the two traffic lights is about $1 million.
“They’ll move down to the location at Sesame Drive, I believe, around the first of January,” Lewis said.