MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — Funding has been secured to repair and add to exit 155 on Interstate 79 in Morgantown, Sen. Joe Manchin’s office announced Friday.
The exit is the main access point from I-79 to Granville, Star City and West Virginia University, including Milan Puskar Stadium and the Coliseum.
According to the release, the project will include:
Replacing the I-79 bridges of Chaplin Hill Road
Reconstructing the exit 155 interchange
Reconstructing the westbound I-79 flyover
Building a pedestrian and bicycle connection between the Star City bridge and the regional rail-to-trail network
A total of $54,320,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation will go to the Monongalia County Commission for the project.
In the release, Manchin said that the investment, which is through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help create jobs in the area and make travel local travel safer.
“When we make smart investments in our roadways that hard-working West Virginians and small businesses rely on, we are building a better future for the state,” Manchin said.
In a separate release, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said that the upgrade will “make a transformational difference” in traffic for those who commute to and from Morgantown.
The Chaplin Hill Gateway Project will help improve traffic, increase safety, and upgrade core transportation infrastructure in Monongalia County. For all those who live and work in the area, as well as those traveling through, this funding will make a transformational difference and I’m excited for this project to move forward,” Capito said in a release from her office.
A timeline for the project was not mentioned in the release.
Back in March, $2 million for the project was secured through the Congressionally Directed Spending process.