WESTOVER, W.Va. — The City of Westover is now ready to start on two major water infrastructure projects and road improvements that will go along with them.

Westover Director of Public Works Jason Stinespring discussed the replacement of over 2,000 sewer lines around Holland Avenue and the replacement of the Dunkard Avenue lift station on WAJR’s Talk of the Town, where he announced an expected March 2025 start date for those projects. The just under $6 million worth of combined work is expected to affect traffic around the city during portions of the projects with a goal to complete work on Holland Avenue by the end of 2025.

“We’ve gotten word now, I think we’re probably looking at an early March start,” said Stinespring on when work on both projects is expected to begin. “The lift station will definitely be a long project, that’s going to take some time, of course, that doesn’t really bother traffic, but Holland Avenue, at the minimum, could be six months, it’s going to be quite a project,” he said.

The work that will take place on Holland Avenue will consist of the replacement of about 2,800 feet of gravity sewer line and 3,000 feet of storm sewer line located towards the lower end of the road heading towards downtown Morgantown. The project will be completed by Blue Gold Development, LLC, and will also include improvements to a retaining wall located right by the Westover Bridge. The just under $3 million of work will also involve a repavement of Holland Avenue that will take place after the sewer line is replaced and will be shortly followed by the start of the Dunakrd Avenue lift station replacement project as we continue into 2025.

“The work on Holland (Avenue) is going to include a new sewer and storm line, from the top all the way around to the bottom,” said Stinespring. “And the repair of the wall down below (the road) where the wall has fallen,” he said.

The Dunkard Avenue lift station replacement will include 500 feet of new sanitary sewer line and 500 feet of new force main line to connect to the Morgantown Utility Board (MUB) wastewater treatment system. That work is valued at approximately $2.96 million, with Green River Group, LLC contracted for the work.

While Stinespring mentioned that traffic is not expected to be affected when work begins on replacing the Dunkard Avenue lift station, traffic is expected to be affected on Holland Avenue between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. With the work requiring the road to be shortened to one lane, motorists with heavy vehicles (i.e., tractor trailers, heavy-duty trucks, etc.) will be directed to drive towards Monongahela Avenue before turning onto Dunkard Avenue, where traffic can then go towards the three-way intersection along Route 19 during those hours. This is expected to take place for the duration of the work as requested by the West Virginia Department of Highways.

“They are going to try to keep one lane open overnight for small cars and small vehicles,” said Stinespring on how much traffic will be allowed on Holland Avenue when sewer lines are being replaced. “But anything that’s not small won’t be able to get through there because it’s such a narrow opening,” he said.

The goal for the City of Westover Public Works Department is to have work completed on at least Holland Avenue before the end of fall 2025. When completed, it will complete water and sewer upgrades that have been discussed between the City of Westover and MUB for close to a half-decade with a combination of rate increases, bond issuances, and federal funding used to support all aspects of the project. As contractors make final preparations on the large-scale projects in Westover, Stinespring and other members of the city public works department are ready to see them get started.

“We’re looking at sometime before winter (2025), when we start looking in September or October, hopefully we’ll be done (with work on Holland Avenue),” Stinespring said.

The projects are financially supported by a MUB sewer rate increase of about 45 percent for residents in the city and the use of $1.9 million in American Rescue Plan Acts funds allocated for the City of Westover. Thrasher Group has supported management of the projects.

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