This is a Plan for improvements to the transportation system in the City of Fairmont and Marion County, West Virginia, covering a period beginning in the present and extending through the year 2020. It has been developed through an intensive one-year process which is outlined in this report. The overall principles that have grown from the planning process and have guided the development of the Plan are twofold.

First, the construction of I-79 has permanently altered the transportation landscape in Marion County. Adjustments now must be made in the rest of the transportation system to compensate for that fundamental shift. Thus, the most important components of this Plan have to do with providing improved access from various parts of Marion County to and from I-79. Those components include:

• Widening and upgrades to US 250 between Fairmont and the South Fairmont interchange with I-79 at White Hall;
• A new connector from downtown Fairmont to I-79 with a new interchange;
• A new connector road extending from I-79 at the Pricketts Fort interchange across the Monongahela River to US 19 somewhere between Fairmont and the Town of Rivesville;
• A new connector road extending from the proposed new interchange on I-79 at Eldora to the intersection of CR 27 and CR 27/5, extending ultimately to the Town of Enterprise in Harrison County; and
• Replacement of the existing Fourth Street Bridge with a new bridge at Third Street, thereby extending WV 310 from US 250 to US 19 (Locust Avenue) to improve access from Fairmont.
• The second guiding principle is that key components of the County’s secondary road system are in need of upgrades to resolve specific congestion points, to correct for safety-related deficiencies, and to accommodate changing development patterns in the County. Most notably, the routes in need of upgrade improvements include portions of US 250, US 19, WV 310, WV 218, and County Routes 1, 17, 21, 27, 33, 58, and 66.

The overall estimated cost for the improvements recommended in this Plan is $270,206,000. It is estimated that based on historic spending patterns, Marion County would receive $204,000,000 transportation funds that could be invested in upgrade and new construction projects through the planning period. In addition, the recently enacted Transportation Equity Act for the Twenty-First Century (TEA-21) contains an earmarked line item authorizing $29,000,000 for construction of the Riverside Expressway project in Fairmont. This leaves a shortfall of $43,296,000 for which alternative funding sources will need to be found.

This Plan lays a key part of the foundation necessary to continue the growth of the I-79 economy well into the 21^st Century. It recognizes the increasing interconnectivity and strength of the three-county region that includes Fairmont/Marion County, Morgantown/ Monongalia County, and Clarksburg/Harrison County. It is worth noting that a similar multi-modal transportation plan was recently completed for Monongalia County, and that a similar plan is anticipated for Harrison County within the next two years. Given the interconnected nature of the economy of these three Counties, it will be important that a serious attempt be made to coordinate the transportation plans of all three. This Plan has been prepared to coordinate with the one prepared for Monongalia County and hopefully the same will be the case for Harrison County.

The Plan makes key recommendations for providing improved access to the Fairmont State College campus and the Fairmont General Hospital. During the course of the planning process, this area was identified as being the largest area of traffic generation in Marion County. The access to this area provided by the current transportation system places a constraint on the future growth and development of both institutions.

The Plan also concentrates on providing access to particular areas of the County that are thought to have economic development potential. This is in keeping with the general policy direction of the State of West Virginia to make economic development consideration a major factor in transportation spending for the purpose of creating and supporting a more diversified and stable employment base in the State.

In addition to the recommended improvements, this Plan also endorses serious study of a spur extension from the proposed continuation of I-68 from Morgantown to the Ohio River Valley. The proposed spur would provide a direct north /south connection from I-79 at the Saltwell Road interchange in Harrison County to the Moundsville area, ultimately tying central West Virginia to I-70 at Wheeling. Such an extension could broaden the area now included in the I-79 economy and strengthen the overall economic health of the north-central area of West Virginia.

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