It should be noted that this Plan does not include a recommendation for the renovation or replacement of the existing, but non-operational, Low Level Bridge across the Monongahela River in Fairmont. This bridge, located at Madison Street, is owned by the City of Fairmont and has been closed since 1989 due to its deteriorated condition. An interest in reopening this bridge was expressed at some public meetings during the planning process. However, the travel demand modeling performed as part of this study demonstrates that the combined capacity of the David Morgan Bridge and the renovated Jefferson Street Bridge will provide more than adequate capacity for carrying traffic across the Monongahela River into and out of downtown Fairmont for the foreseeable future. The recommended improvements regarding access to those bridges (described above) will also improve their functional capacity.

Many local residents considered the location of the Low Level Bridge especially convenient for vehicles passing through Fairmont with origins or destinations in the north-central section of Marion County. However, the recommendation included in this Plan for a new bridge farther north, as part of a Rivesville Connector, would replace that function in the roadway network. Accordingly, this study has determined that replacement of the Low Level Bridge is not needed from a pure capacity standpoint.

As the final report for this transportation study was being prepared, a petition bearing in excess of 6,000 signatures was submitted to the Division of Highways recommending that the Low Level Bridge be repaired or replaced. Much of the interest behind the petition came from business owners in the Merchant Street area, who felt that their business volume had been harmed by the permanent closure of the Low Level Bridge and the temporary closure of the Jefferson Street Bridge.

While the restoration of the Low Level Bridge is not an option due to the extent of its deterioration, replacement of the bridge in the present location or at another site may be an option. This Plan therefore recommends that an engineering study be conducted to address questions of replacing the Low Level Bridge. The engineering study should include an examination of the effectiveness that could be expected of a new bridge as part of the existing, committed, and planned transportation systems serving the Fairmont area.

Substantial improvement needs to be made to provide access to the Fairmont State College and the Fairmont General Hospital area. Three potential components to achieving this objective have been identified.

In the short run, five signals on Locust Avenue should be incorporated into a coordinated closed-loop system. From east to west, these signals are:

• Locust Avenue and Fourth Street;
• Locust Avenue and Oakwood Road;
• Locust Avenue and Bryant Street;
• Locust Avenue and Campus Drive West; and
• Locust Avenue and Bell Run Road.

In addition, Locust Avenue should be widened to three lanes from Bell Run Road to Fourth Street to provide the opportunity for left turns to occur without obstructing traffic. This widening may afford the opportunity to create a boulevard-type roadway that adds to a campus atmosphere. It could also allow the City of Fairmont an opportunity to deal with a vexing recurring storm water problem that has plagued structures on the south side of Locust Avenue in this area.

In the longer term, two significant improvements should be given further study. The first of these involves the replacement of an existing City-owned bridge on Fourth Street. Presently, this bridge is in a deteriorated condition and has a load limit that prevents it from being used by heavy vehicles, including transit buses. It is expected that this bridge will reach the end of its useful life within the next decade.

As can be seen in the photograph, by locating a new bridge on Third Street rather than Fourth Street, an opportunity is gained to extend a direct connection from the David Morgan Bridge to Locust Avenue. This would require the extension of Third Street on the west side

Aerial View of Proposed Third Street Bridge Location

of Coal Run Hollow. Such a connection would serve to provide a direct route from a Monongahela River crossing to Locust Avenue without passing through downtown Fairmont or along Fairmont Avenue. This concept is illustrated in Figure 10. This extension of Third Street should provide two lanes throughout its length with appropriate turning lanes at all intersections. At the east end, it appears this concept can be accomplished using existing

Figure 10A - Existing Fourth Street Bridge Location

Figure 10B - Proposed Third Street Bridge Location

pavement by removing on-street parking spaces while not impacting any existing structures. In the event this alternative is pursued, it is recommended that the WV 310 designation be extended to include this extension.

Figure 11 - Proposed Route of Coal Run Hollow Parkway

The other long-term concept that should be given further study is the possible construction of a new parkway-type road through Coal Run Hollow extending from the west end of the Jefferson Street Bridge through to Locust Avenue at about the present intersection of Bryant Street and Locust Avenue (Figure 11). A landscaped, modern two-lane roadway following this route could provide a relatively direct connection to the proposed I-79/Downtown Connector and be an attractive addition to Fairmont. Combined with the I-79/Downtown Connector, this route would provide a much improved link from the Fairmont State College Campus to I-79.

Of the three alternatives defined for the I-79/Downtown Connector, the Coal Run Hollow Parkway is most compatible with Alternatives A and B, which place the greatest emphasis on the Jefferson Street Bridge as the primary entrance into downtown Fairmont.

Prior to construction of the Interstate Highway System, the transportation system in Marion County quite naturally evolved in a form that made downtown Fairmont the focus of the roadway network in the County. At the time, this was right and proper. The construction of I-79 created a major shift in the landscape. As the regional economy has become increasingly centered on I-79, a transportation system centered on downtown Fairmont creates problems.

For much of the western two-thirds of Marion County, the only practical route to and from I-79 passes through the heart of downtown Fairmont. Not only does this cause constant aggravation to the residents of the western areas of the County, it also results in significant peak hour congestion in downtown. Moreover, it results in a steady stream of heavy truck traffic passing over downtown streets, creating a hazard for pedestrians, blackening downtown buildings with diesel exhaust, and acting as a deterrent to the redevelopment of downtown.

More importantly, this circumstance is a major deterrent to growth and development in the large part of the County west of the Monongahela River. As the Development Factors Report makes clear, many of the areas in Marion County with long-term development potential lie west and north of Fairmont. But, without transportation access, very little of that potential will ever be realized. For these reasons, two road construction projects have been proposed in recent years by various groups in Marion County; both proposals are designed to address these issues. They are known as the Rivesville Connector and the Eldora/Enterprise Connector.

This Plan endorses both proposals and adds a third component. This is a new roadway on the northwest side of Fairmont connecting US 250 in the vicinity of Hampton Road to US 19 in the area of Dakota. This connection will provide a link from the Rivesville Connector to the western areas of Marion County via US 250.

Combined, these three projects would greatly improve the access available to the western areas of the County. The logic in support of these projects is described below.

The Rivesville Connector would link the west bank of the Monongahela River to I-79 via the Pricketts Fort Interchange at CR 33. Its construction would allow access to I-79 from the north-central and western areas of the County (and to south-central Monongalia County) without passing through downtown Fairmont. Included in these areas are the towns of Rivesville, Baxter, Grant Town, and Fairview. It is worth noting that much of the truck traffic in downtown appears to be connected with these areas of the County. Construction of a Rivesville Connector would help in removing commercial traffic from downtown Fairmont.

On the east side of the river, this roadway would provide access to areas with economic development potential in the vicinity of Montana Mines and Sanford (shown in Figure 12). It will also provide improved access to the new American Fibers paper recycling plant located on the east bank of the river across from Rivesville. With improvements to CR 72/2, it could also improve access to the Phillips Lighting plant and the river port facility in this area.

Three possible routes have been identified for the Rivesville Connector. They are illustrated in Figure 12, and discussed in the next section. As with the I-79/Downtown Connector, determination of a final preferred alignment will only be possible following a more detailed study than is possible within the scope of the Transportation Plan. At an estimated cost of $72,000,000, this is easily the most costly recommendation included in this Plan. It is therefore important to ensure that its final design maximizes its benefits to the County. This will be achieved by properly coordinating this project with the connection between US 19 and US 250, a recommendation which is discussed in the section following the detailed analysis of the three Rivesville Connector Alternatives.

It is worth noting that the most difficult design challenge associated with each of the alternative alignments is the connection to US 19 on the western side of the River. Because the Monongahela River is a navigable waterway, any bridge crossing must maintain adequate clearance to allow commercial barge traffic to pass beneath it. On the west bank of the river there is an active rail line that must also be crossed. A connection then must be made to

US 19, preferably, without requiring a grade crossing of the rail line. The three identified alternatives are discussed briefly below.

• The northern most of the alternatives, shown in Figure 12 as Alignment A, connects most directly to the Town of Rivesville. In terms of providing access to the aforementioned areas of the County, this route would be the fastest and most direct. However, it also has some potential liabilities. At its western end, Alternative A crosses the Monongahela River and touches down in the south end of the Town of Rivesville. Because US 19 and the CSX railroad line are very close to the river and at a similar elevation, it appears it will be necessary for the bridge to cross over both before touching down. To implement this alignment, it may be necessary to make a hard choice between losing residences in Rivesville or lengthening the bridge to provide adequate clearance above the rail line, thereby adding significantly to the overall project cost.

  It should also be noted that QRS-II modeling work, performed as a part of this study, indicates that Alignment A would attract the lowest traffic volumes among the three described here. This is because it would be the least attractive route among the three alternatives to trips originating further west in the County. This will be particularly true if the US 250/US 19 connector is built.

• The second alternative, shown in Figure 12 as Alignment B, is a variation of Alignment A, crossing the river about a half mile further south. It too provides a fairly direct route to Rivesville and the northern areas of the County. It offers the advantage that it takes fewer residences at the western end, but the disadvantage is that it requires substantial earthwork to make the connection at the western end. The quantity of cut would depend on the turn radius and design speed of the exit ramp at the west end of the bridge. PKG has estimated that a cut that could accommodate a ramp with a 25 mph design speed would require a cut of approximately 80,000 cubic yards of material. Alignment B would also require an at-grade crossing of the CSX railroad tracks to connect with US 19. It should be noted that there is no indication at this time that these tracks may be abandoned at any time in the near future. Moreover, there is a recommendation elsewhere in this Plan that should CSX consider abandonment of this line, the State of West Virginia should do everything possible to prevent this development.

• The third alternative, shown in Figure 12 as Alignment C, crosses the river at Dakota, about a mile and a quarter south of Rivesville. Of the three alternatives, this location provides the least direct connection to the northern areas of the County. On the other hand, as the QRS-II model indicates, this alternative will attract the highest usage of the three alternatives because it is an attractive alternative for trips now using US 250 through Fairmont to reach western areas of the County. Again, this is especially true if a US 250/US 19 Connector is built.

  As can be seen in the photo above, at this location the railroad is located closer to the river and at a lower elevation than is US 19. Thus, it may be possible to make a direct connection to US 19 without complications with the railroad and without necessitating the acquisition of residences. Due both to traffic volumes and to the curves in US 19 on both approaches, it may be necessary to signalize the intersection at the terminus of the bridge.

As previously stated, a final determination regarding a preferred alignment for the Rivesville Connector will require a more detailed formal study of the specific factors relating to each alignment. It should be noted that the Mayors of Rivesville and Grant Town as well as a representative of the Baxter area endorsed Alignment C during the deliberations of the Coordinating Committee.

Given the high cost of constructing the Rivesville Connector, it may be necessary to consider constructing this project in phases. If so, the bridge over the Monongahela River should be the first piece of the project undertaken. If the southern alignment is chosen, the access road built to support the American Fibers plant could be modified and combined with CR 2/1 to provide an interim access to the bridge pending completion of the rest of the project. If either of the northern alignments is chosen, County Routes 72, 72/1, and 72/4 could provide temporary access routes to the bridge.

Ideally, the Rivesville Connector should be constructed as a four-lane controlled access roadway, with a design speed of 55 mph and left-turn lanes provided at the intersections. Access should be controlled to preserve the roadway’s capacity to carry traffic, thereby protecting the very substantial public investment in its construction.

However, an alternative phasing approach might be to build the bridge as a four-lane structure and the balance of the project as a modern two-lane facility with turning lanes at intersections and climbing lanes on hills. Given the projected traffic volumes, this configuration would probably deliver an adequate level of service for many years.

Whenever the Rivesville Connector is built, a side connection should be extended to serve Pricketts Fort State Park. Currently, the only access to the Park is provided by CR 72, which includes a narrow one-lane bridge across Pricketts Creek. This bridge restricts use of the Park as it is too narrow for large buses to cross comfortably. A tie to a Rivesville Connector could efficiently address this problem.

Design studies for the Rivesville Connector should also give attention to a possible upgrade to side roads connecting to it. If it begins to stimulate added development on the east side of the river, the county routes may not be adequate to support a growing traffic load. In particular, moderate upgrades to CR 72, CR 72/4 and CR 72/1 may be needed.

The second piece of the solution for providing access to the western areas of the County is the US 250/US 19 Connector. The location of this roadway is shown in Figure 12. This is an easily overlooked, but key, component of the recommended transportation system for Marion County. This component is the primary piece of the Plan that addresses the objective of providing an alternative for commercial traffic now passing through downtown. Currently, there is a large volume of trucks passing through downtown Fairmont enroute to the northern and western areas of the County. This Connector will provide an alternative route that will make it possible to divert much of that traffic out of the downtown area.

The US 250/US 19 Connector will provide the link that allows the Rivesville Connector to tie the western areas of Marion County served by US 250 to I-79. By itself, the Rivesville Connector will only provide that connection for about 20% of the land area of the County shown in Figure 13 as Area A.

Figure 13 – US 250/US 19 Connector Service Area

The addition of the US 250/US 19 Connector will increase that percentage to about 60% of the land area of the County as shown in Figure 13 as Area B. As proposed by this Plan, the US 250/US 19 Connector would begin at US 19 at Dakota, cut through a ridge and cross Buffalo Creek in the Chesapeake area, extending to connect with the current location of Hampton Road (CR 250/19). The proposed alignment then follows Hampton Road to its intersection with US 250. This alignment ties directly to the west end of Alignment C for the Rivesville Connector discussed earlier. The travel demand modeling suggests that a two-lane configuration with turning lanes at intersections would be sufficient to handle traffic volumes on this roadway.

It is worth noting that, of the three alignments identified for the Rivesville Connector, the southernmost, or Alignment C, will provide the greatest benefit in terms of increased access to the western areas of Marion County. This is true because this alignment will be the most coordinated with the US 250/US 19 Connector. The public benefit gained from a $72 million investment in the Rivesville Connector will be greatly increased through the additional estimated $14 million cost for the US 250/US 19 Connector. The transportation demand modeling performed as part of this study suggests that the US 250/US 19 Connector would carry a daily volume of roughly 5,000 vehicles per day if it is built in conjunction with Alignment C of the Rivesville Connector. On the other hand, without the Rivesville Connector, or with Alignment A of the Rivesville Connector, there would be little reason to build the US 250/US 19 Connector.

The final piece of the solution to providing access to the western areas of the County is the Eldora/Enterprise Connector. This facility is illustrated in Figure 14. This roadway accomplishes the same purpose at the south end of the County that the Rivesville Connector accomplishes at the north end. It provides a direct access route to I-79 for large areas of the County that now have only indirect access or poor access via substandard roads.

This concept has been under consideration for many years and its time seems to have arrived. The Eldora/Enterprise Connector will provide a link from I-79 to US 19 and WV 218. These are the primary north/south routes in Marion County. Together with these routes and the new Eldora interchange, the Eldora/Enterprise Connector will substantially improve the quality of road access linking the central and western portions of the County as well as northern Harrison County with I-79.

In 1976, the WV DOH constructed a new bridge across the West Fork River at Enterprise in Harrison County, just south of the Marion County line. A high quality roadway was extended east to the County line where it now transitions to a narrow county route (CR 27/4) with pavement of less than 18 feet and little or no shoulder. In this part of the County, the only east/west routes that can be used to reach the interstate are CR 58/1 (Manley Chapel Road) and CR 58 which are both narrow substandard roadways. In some places, it is not possible for a car to pass an oncoming school bus or truck. The narrow roadway notwithstanding, Manley Chapel Road is presently carrying a volume of 4,300 vehicles per day.

The construction of the Eldora/Enterprise Connector will also tend to relieve traffic congestion on US 250 in Fairmont. Southbound trips, which now originate in the western areas of Marion County and use US 250 through Fairmont as a route to I-79, will find a more attractive route using WV 218 and the new Connector. The transportation demand modeling performed as part of this study suggests that the Eldora/Enterprise Connector will carry a daily volume of roughly 8,000 vehicles per day.

At its eastern end, the Eldora/Enterprise Connector should be tied as directly as possible to the new Eldora interchange to be built on I-79. In conjunction with the construction of the Eldora/Enterprise Connector, it is recommended that CR 27 from US 19 (near Worthington) to the Connector be upgraded to modern standards with 12’ lanes and 4’ shoulders. At its northern end (at US 19), it should be realigned to connect with the southern end of WV 218. Currently, WV 218 and CR 27 intersect US 19 at two intersections approximately 1,900 feet apart. Consolidation of these two intersections would increase the attractiveness of this route and eliminate many unnecessary left turns. Consideration might also be given to extending the WV 210 State Route designation to the point where CR 27 and the Eldora/Enterprise Connector intersect. Once the Eldora/Enterprise Connector is built, CR 27 and WV 218 will become significantly more important as a route to the central and western portions of Marion County.

As described in the Existing Conditions Report, there are growing operational problems associated with the Kingmont interchange on I-79 in Pleasant Valley. Several recommendations are made pertaining to this area to prevent continued deterioration of conditions.

In the short run, as recommended in the Traffic Operations Report, the installation of a traffic signal system that incorporates the intersection of Airport Road and CR 64/1 as well as the southbound ramps from I-79 will ease operations in this area. Another signal system may also be necessary at the ends of the northbound ramps and the intersection of CR 64/1 and Pleasant Valley Road. These improvements should be viewed only as a temporary solution to the problem.

It is recommended that the Town of Pleasant Valley give serious consideration to the adoption of land use regulations that will allow an opportunity to coordinate the location of roadway access points in this area. The fashion in which recent development has occurred in the immediate vicinity of the interchange has not only added to the traffic problems, it has also enormously complicated the search for solutions.

Kingmont Interchange showing high school traffic in mid-afternoon
and recent development in the interchange area.

Assuming, as seems quite likely, that added commercial development will occur in the future in this area, the ability (or lack thereof) to regulate the configuration of development and the placement of access points will be an important factor in preventing further deterioration of traffic conditions. Clearly, the absence of such regulations has contributed to the current situation.

The fact, that Airport Road provides the sole access point into East Fairmont High School and that the access must pass through the congested Kingmont interchange, creates a potential safety hazard. Should an incident occur in the interchange area or on Airport Road at the same time that an emergency occurs at the High School, emergency vehicles might be unable to respond to the High School in a timely fashion. In addition, exposing school bus loads of students on a daily basis to the problems found in a congested interchange area creates a hazard all its own. For that reason, it is recommended that a new access route be constructed to the High School by extending Airport Road through to Pump Station Road allowing access to the Millersville/Pleasant Valley interchange. This proposed new access route is illustrated in Figure 15.

Figure 15 - Proposed Route of Airport Road Extension

Several alternatives for this connection have been studied by the Preliminary Engineering Section of the Planning and Research Division of WVDOT. The recommended alignment shown here was one of those alternatives as illustrated in a Report issued by that office in April 1999. The key feature in this alignment is that it does not require that a public roadway pass through the center of the High School campus. Instead, it allows the High School to retain an ability to control access to its campus while at the same time providing access to the Campus from more than one direction.

In the long term, if commercial development continues to increase in the area of the Kingmont interchange, it may become necessary to rebuild the interchange itself. The crowding of development around the interchange, as well as the configuration of the adjoining intersections, will make this difficult.

Should this occur, it is suggested that consideration be given to the use of a single point interchange. This concept, which is illustrated in Figure 16, creates a single signalized intersection in the center of the interchange which controls all four of the ramp ends in the interchange. In this situation, such a configuration would make it possible to separate the ramp ends from the adjoining intersections and allow the installation of a coordinated closed- loop system to control all three intersections.

Next Section: Recommended Plan - Part 4