MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A vital step to move forward a large-scale highway infrastructure project in Monongalia County has been formally given a green light.
The Monongalia County Commission unanimously approved an agreement with the West Virginia Department of Transportation to transfer a $50 million National Infrastructure Project Assistance MEGA grant towards the DOT. The agreement will account for the federal contribution to support the redesign of Exit 155 on Interstate 79, which was valued at $110 million in 2020.
“It’s regarding the I-79 Exit 155 MEGA grant awarded to the commission that is being assigned to the WV DOT in order to facilitate and expedite the completion of the project,” said Commission President Jeff Arnett.
The redesign of Exit 155 will consist of a reconstruction of the interchange that will coincide with recreational improvements over by the University Town Center. This will include the replacement of bridges that are a part of I-79 that are over the Chaplin Hill Road, the reconstruction of the westbound I-79 flyover, and a pedestrian and bicycle connection that would be located between the Star City Bridge and the Mon River Rail-Trail system. With the federal grant allocated to the county and the DOT working on the project as part of a state grant, the commission agreement to have the funds transferred to the state department is part of an effort to avoid overlapping while keeping two major contributions towards the project.
“This is the agreement where we assign the MEGA grant that the commission received regarding Exit 155, this memorializes it,” said Commissioner Sean Sikora.
The transfer of the federal grant dollars will join a separate state contribution to support the project, which will also go towards the West Virginia Department of Transportation. The contribution stems from a $66 million pledge promised by current U.S. Senator Jim Justice when he was Governor of West Virginia back in 2019. With the federal contribution a major factor in the original pledge on a state level, the agreement was important in keeping pledges towards the project that have been over a half decade in the making intact.
“The Department of Highways has signed it as we present it, there were just some tiny wordsmithing changes, but for the most part, it’s as we put forward,” said Sikora.
While the project itself is still some time away from starting, the commission is happy to see a vital aspect of the starting blocks move forward given the timely nature of the agreement. Not only to meet federal grant deadlines for the National Infrastructure Project Assistance MEGA grant but also to keep firm timelines amidst a federal funding conversation that has resulted in job losses in Monongalia County (NIOSH recently lost over 180 employees due to federal cuts) and concerns over projects being funded as a whole. With the Exit 155 overhaul expected to play a major role in continuing development in Monongalia County, the county commission is ready to keep the project moving in the right direction.
“I’m happy that this agreement is finally ready to move forward, and I’m looking forward to working with the new administration to see it to fruition,” Sikora said.
The Exit 155 redesign project is scheduled to be completed in 2028.