West Virginia officials recently held a press conference to discuss the state’s $71 million widening project between the Merritts Creek and Huntington Mall exits on I-64 in Barboursville.
The project is intended to double the capacity of the 2.9-mile stretch of I-64, an area that has a traffic volume of approximately 55,000 vehicles daily, by expanding it from four to eight lanes.
Additionally, five sets of overpass bridges will be replaced, and the mall entrance on East Mall Road will be expanded to alleviate congestion.
Lane closures will occur at night, and at least two lanes of traffic will remain open at all times.
“It’s going to take a little while, but this makeover of this section of I-64 is very important,” Jimmy Wriston, deputy commissioner of highways, said. “It’s very important for us to get some more capacity on this interstate. This is the corridor that connects two of our major cities: Huntington and Charleston. We need a modern, efficient highway to move people and goods through West Virginia, and this is the kind of project that gets it done.”
Workers began setting up orange construction barrels Wednesday, and the project is expected to be completed in October 2022.