Hi Neighbors and Friends
The deadline for public comment on the proposed bridge over the Mon River to the Morgantown Industrial Park is November 3 (this Friday). I personally am opposed to this bridge as a resident of First Ward and someone who cares deeply about the Mon River Rail-Trails and the Monongahela River. I hope all of you will submit comments to the DOH, and ask others for comment. If you already have, thank you. Ella
There are several ways to submit comment found in the link above-
Email for Travis Long is- Travis.E.Long@wv.gov
News articles
https://www.theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2023/10/gov-jim-justice-has-ties-to-development-benefiting-from-new-morgantown-interchange-bridge/
MUB Concerns
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/yez2i3o7dyovayjzkaf6l/Mub-support-for-bridge.pdf?rlkey=9kwu0unlezhvg8ja868cex5xv&dl=0
Reasons I am opposed (in no particular order)
1) bridge estimated to cost $70-$82 million will be redundant once the Harmony Grove Interchange (estimate is $42 million) is built. It would provide no more positive impact than the Harmony Grove Interchange currently being built and will come at great expense.
2) Alternative 1 would construct the span between the Morgantown Dam and the BFS gas station at 305 Don Knotts Boulevard.- it will add truck traffic noise and air pollution to the Mon Valley and most directly impact the adjacent First Ward and Wharf District neighborhoods and businesses.
3) The preferred route (from MPO and local government) near Scott Avenue (Alternative 3), would cross the Mon River close to, and upstream from, the primary drinking water intake for MUB. It creates a risk of water contamination, especially if it will be used to truck inputs to the chemical plant or finished products from the chemical plant.
More from MUB article on October 22, 2023
The preferred location of the project, presented by the DOH as “Alternative 3,” would connect to U.S. 119 near Scott Avenue, include a multi-span bridge across the river and tie into an improved Rail Street, which is part of the industrial park’s existing street network. That would put the bridge about 7,500 feet, or roughly 1.5 miles, from MUB’s primary drinking water intake.
MUB General Manager Mike McNulty addressed that issue in an Oct. 10 letter to the DOH.
“We are concerned that construction activities will cause significant sediment disturbances which could negatively impact the 10+ million gallons of source water our treatment plant processes on a daily basis,” McNulty explained, noting “significant care” must be taken during construction to prevent river contamination.
The new bridge will also bring with it increased truck traffic hauling potential contaminants to and from the industrial park.
“A spill event on or near the proposed bridge poses a significant risk of contaminating the public’s drinking water supply given the proximity and quick travel time to our intake,” McNulty wrote.
In terms of source water protection, any potential contaminant within five hours flow time of MUB’s intake — be it along the Monongahela River or one of its tributaries — is considered inside the “zone of critical concern.” McNulty said the location preferred for the new bridge is “mere minutes” from MUB’s water treatment plant.
4) The Alternative 3 option at Scott Avenue is in an area prone to landslides. Landslides impacting the rail-trail have cost tens of thousands to clean up. Increasing stormwater issues by changing drainage in this area will likely add to existing problems on Smithtown Road (Route 73) and the Mon River Rail-Trail.
5) We have seen other bridge construction in the state close the rail-trail in the construction zone for years while it is being built, example Wellsburg Bridge and the Brooke Pioneer Rail-Trail now closed 5 years and counting.