MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A contract is in place to have a private company address Monongalia County roads during snowstorms with a push from legislatures to get started early.
Monongalia County Delegate David McCormick announced on WAJR’s Talk of the Town that the West Virginia Division of Highways has agreed to a contract bid to have snow removal be done by private contractors starting in January 2026 as part of a two-year pilot program. McCormick, who was a major advocate for legislation for the DOH to outsource such work, added that work is ongoing to potentially have that contract start early after another snowstorm caused first responders from around Monongalia County to work in overdrive Tuesday morning.
“Monongalia County has been awarded a contract, the contract is supposed to begin January 1st,” said McCormick. “Unfortunately, we’ve had this big snow, and nothing’s been done. It’s frustrating, which is why I authored and sponsored the bill for the snow removal.”
The pilot program allows for counties within DOH District 4 (Monongalia and Preston counties included) to outsource work such as snow removal, with plans to analyze the program after two years. The need to move forward with the program was highlighted by Tuesday’s storms, where around 4 inches of snow that fell overnight resulted in over 70 drivers assisted by first responders, while over 40 property damage accidents were investigated as well. While the contract is scheduled to be fully enacted in January 2026, McCormick emphasized that efforts are being undertaken with DOH officials to see if work can start in December to address the woes of Monongalia County roads during rough weather.
“My hope is that the contractor can get up and running before January 1st, but that’s only a month from now, so the bill is for two years,” said McCormick. “It’s a pilot program, we hope it goes well, and we hope it works.”
McCormick also added that an attempt to get a private contract to help with snow removal in Preston County is ongoing with DOH officials. This comes after an initial bid that took place at the same time as the one offered in Monongalia County was not responded to by any private contractors. The hope is that a second bidding process will achieve results in time for the start of 2026.
“Preston County, unfortunately, no one bid on it, and so they’re putting it back out to bid again,” said McCormick. “So if anybody’s listening, I’m told by the DOH they’re putting the back out on the street again for Preston County.”
The push for private contractors to help address roads under DOH jurisdiction in Monongalia and Preston counties has been ongoing for several years, with McCormick spearheading legislation passed in 2025. This has also been one of several initiatives that have taken place on a state and local level to address county roads, including private contractors for road overhauls that took place back in 2024 ahead of the start of the WVU fall semester. For McCormick, having a private contractor in place to address roads within the next month will help address a long-term need for the county.
“This is one of the main things that I wanted to try to do, which was to not only improve our roads around town but also to get the snow off of them,” said McCormick. “So people can get to the hospitals, so they can get to work, and two or three inches of snow shouldn’t shut this whole town down.”