MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In Monongalia County, Governor Jim Justice made a $70 million commitment to additional access to the Morgantown Industrial Park, and he said work will begin on some aspects as early as the spring of 2024.
At the same event, Chief Engineer for the West Virginia Department of Highways (DOH), Jason Foster, said the public has overwhelmingly supported Alternate 3. Alternate 3 connects to U.S. 119 between Scott Avenue and Glotfelty Tire, intersects Smithtown Road, and accesses the Morgantown Industrial Park via River Road.
Glenn Adrian, co-owner of Enroute Properties L.L.C., the developers of the industrial park, acknowledged that the lack of interstate access has hindered growth. He expects interest in the park to increase along with investment and jobs.
“The Mountaintop Beverage Plant is a game changer, and the governor is recognizing that,” Adrian said. “One of the limitations they have and we have is critical access to the interstate.”
The announcement was made on the grounds of Mountaintop Beverage, where CEO Jeff Sokal and staff were preparing to welcome about 400 employees and families for dinner and a tour of the facility.
Sokal said they negotiated with several other potential sites and developed here because there was faith in state leadership to improve access. He added that if there was not a solid commitment to change traffic flows and get the trucks out of Westover, the plant would not have been located in Monongalia County.
This access and the proposed Harmony Grove interchange off I-79 will increase their capacity and will also welcome many more tenants to the park in his estimation.
“Our project is the “unlock” for this industrial park; we’re the reason this bridge and exit will be built,” Sokal said. “I think there’s going to be thousands of jobs in this industrial park and on the west side of Morgantown when that exit is built in the next few years.”
In fact, Sokal said an additional building pad was part of their initial project, and Mountaintop Beverage expansion could begin in the next 12 months. The expansion under consideration would increase their full-time employment from the current 200 to as many as 450.
“There’s 400,000 square feet to grow into, and we’d like to start building out that space as soon as possible, maybe even this year or early next year,” Sokal said.
Justice made the commitment to the new $70 million access road and bridge over the Monongahela River, but also said efforts to pursue the future Harmony Grove interchange will also continue. Justice said the project creates benefits locally and for the entire state, and she believes any future chief executive of the state would also support it.
“Not just Mountaintop Beverage, but the whole project is so meaningful to this area and can produce so much that the governor-to-be will fall right into line and be very supportive,” Justice said.
President of the Monongalia County Commission, Tom Bloom, said this is a key step forward for future development. Direct interstate access and upgraded water and sewer utilities to the west of I-79 are big pillars to support future economic development.
“We have several that want to expand,” Bloom said. “Now that they’ve heard that, we’ve opened the door for a multi-million dollar expansion of facilities and businesses to come to the industrial park.”