MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Federal Highways Administration has approved the Interchange Justification Report (IJR) for the proposed Harmony Grove I-79 exit to serve the Morgantown Industrial Park (MIP).
The IJR is completed by the developer, Enroute Properties, and the consultant to show the scope of work to the state Division of Highways (DOH). State officials can use the federal approval to issue a solicitation for engineering services for the project.
In October 2020, Enrout Properties agreed to prepare a justification report, environmental document, and design study—at no cost to the WVDOT—exploring the proposed new interstate access.
The interchange will be a vital part of Mountaintop Beverage. Mountaintop Beverage is expected to operate up to 100 semi-trucks daily from the Morgantown Industrial Park. Additionally, reports indicate when the project is officially announced, other expansion announcements are expected when project bids are awarded to a contractor.
This federal project is in addition to the new bridge funded by the state currently under construction crossing the Monongahela River for the MIP. The two infrastructure additions will keep hundreds of heavy trucks off Westover streets, which has become an increasing safety issue.
With the IJR approval, construction on the Harmony Grove Interchange could begin in 2027.