Governor inspects King Coal Highway construction
Inspecting progress on the McDowell
County side of the King Coal Highway/Coalfields Expressway interchange at the McDowell/Wyoming
County line was part of a May 2 meeting between Governor Bob Wise, Transportation
Secretary Fred VanKirk and members of the Coalfields Expressway Authority and Wyoming
County leaders.
Wise and VanKirk met with leaders to outline county projects scheduled
for 2001 construction, including a new road and bridge, estimated at $1.3 million,
to serve Wyoming County’s Clear Fork Coatings industrial site. The cost is justified,
Wise said, by its “potential for bringing in a new industry-cleaning, shaping and
coating marine steel products-and the creation of new jobs in the Wyoming County
area.”
Design plans are currently under way on a Wyoming County segment of the Coalfields
Expressway north of the interchange that calls for an interchange with WV 16. Construction
of the McDowell County segment, under a $23.2 million contract with Bizzack, Inc.
of Lexington, Kentucky, is expected to be complete by late fall.
The photos below show work in progress:
Governor Bob Wise discusses the project with Art Kirkendoll of the Governor's Southern
Office.
|
Joe Martin, Secretary of Military Affairs, (L to R) Nick Mason, Mayor of Northfork,
WV, Governor Wise, Delegate Richard Browning, Senator Truman Chafin, Senator
Walt Helmick and an unidentified man tour the construction project.
|
Governor Wise with Delegate Browning, who is also Executive Director of Coalfields
Expressway Authority inspect progress on the road site. |
The project involves 6,662,172 cubic yards of excavation, including more than 4.5
million cubic yards from nearby borrow sites. |
Another view showing the massive earthmoving involved in this project. |