I don't pretend to know all the details and politics of the innerworkings of the project and I don't want to get into all the dirty stuff here, but I saw where a new 4.5 mile long section of the highway was completed this past week and when the next 10 mile section into the Davis area is completed later this Fall, that will obviously make nearly 15 new miles of highway completed this year with another 7.5 miles starting between Kerens and Parsons next year bridging the gap at the other end. So, they've been making more progress in recent years.
It's a spectacular piece of highway, both physically and scenery-wise, especially up in the mountains. I've lived, worked and traveled all over the country and it's probably the most scenic highway I've been on East of the Rockies.
Anyhoo, I know some of us have talked about this and one of the crucial factors in speeding up what has been a historically slow process, especially until somewhat recently from what I can gather, is the funding mechanism and process for getting things done. A public-private partnership has been seen as a solution by many to expedite this. I noticed they've implemented the P3 in not only Corridor H recently, but U.S. Hwy 35 down in the Southwest part of the state, too. I would think this is good news, no?
I don't necessarily expect Corridor H to be completed by 2020, though I wish it were true, but I would think if we could continue to pick up the pace that things would certainly be well ahead of the previous projected completion dates somewhere in the mid-2030's, which is flat out unacceptable as far as I'm concerned. I know the section from Parsons up to Davis is a big 10-12 mile climb up the mountain in some treacherous terrain and that won't be easy.
Thoughts?
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Local leaders on Thursday celebrated the opening of the 4.4 mile section of Corridor H, between the Bismarck and the Tucker County line, with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, along with Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox, representatives for Senators Manchin and Capito, and Federal Highway Administration, West Virginia Division Administrator Tom Smith, attended the event.
"Completing Corridor H has been a work in progress for a number of years, and I'm pleased we are able to announce work on an additional stretch of roadway to bring this project one-step closer to completion," Gov. Tomblin said, "These continued efforts are made possible through public-private partnerships that not only save taxpayers' dollars, but help to speed up construction and spur economic growth. By investing in our infrastructure, we have the potential to impact both our state and local economies. I look forward to announcing the bidding process for this new stretch of road in a few weeks."
There are plans to put in an additional 7.5 mile stretch of the Appalachian Corridor H project out to bid in the coming weeks. This will be a new stretch of the 4 lane highway, which will go from Kerens and half way up to Parsons. With this opening, 91 miles of the approximately 132 total miles of Corridor H is open to traffic; 69 percent of the total Corridor H is complete in West Virginia.
When Corridor H is completed, it will connect Interstate 79 near Weston, with the junction of Interstate 81 and 66 in Front Royal, Va.
"Opening another 4.4 miles and beginning the process for a new section of roadway, highlight years of aggressive work by many organizations to finish Corridor H as quickly as possible," said Mattox.
"The Corridor H project has been around for a long time, but we are continuing to make great progress and hope with this new momentum, we can continue to see good things happen as we bring the last of the unfinished corridor in West Virginia closer to completion.
Construction on the new section of highway is expected to begin in the spring of 2016.
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Corridor H to follow P3 funding option
By Jeff Jenkins in News
May 28, 2015 at 5:20PM
BISMARCK, W.Va. — Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin took the opportunity Thursday while helping to cut the ribbon on a new 4.4-mile stretch of Corridor H to announce the state Division of Highways will use a different financing model to build the next 7.5 miles of the much-talked about highway.
Tomblin has instructed the DOH to put the section from Kerens to Parsons out to bid under the public-private partnership option. State Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox applauded the decision.
“We’ve constructed a lot of highway on Corridor H over the past 10 years and we currently have a lot of momentum and it’s great to see that momentum being carried forward,” Mattox told MetroNews.
PPP allows the DOH to choose a contractor, which in turn chooses an engineer on the project. The DOH then evens out its monthly payments for the project over the life of the contract instead of paying a contractor more when more work is being done. Mattox said the option, which is currently being used on the Coalfields Expressway and U.S. Route 35, is working well. He said it’s possible with a project like Corridor H the payments would have to be extended beyond the construction.
“They are going to be pretty expensive sections of highway,” Mattox said. “It may be you may need to extend those payments over a 10 to 15-year period, something of that magnitude, an additional 5 to 10 years beyond the construction period.”
The Corridor H Authority supports the PPP option being used on the rest of Corridor H in order to finish the highway by 2020.
The last section to open, which was celebrated Thursday, takes the road from Bismarck in Grant County to the Tucker County line.
“It’s just a beautiful highway. It takes you right in that Mount Storm area where you are coming up and getting on top of the mountain. It’s just a gorgeous view, a world-class highway,” Mattox said.
An additional 10-mile stretch leading into Davis in Tucker County is set to open later this year. Mattox said adding the 7.5 miles announced Thursday will complete all but 25 miles of the road.
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Winning Bid Announced for Remaining Construction of US 35
By ASSOCIATED PRESS • JUN 2, 2015
The West Virginia Department of Highways announced the winning bid Tuesday for the construction to complete U.S. Route 35 that runs in Mason and Putnam Counties.
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin along with Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox announced that Bizzack Construction LLC of Lexington, Kentucky had the winning bid. Bizzack had a winning bid of $174,450,000, making it the largest contract the West Virginia Division of Highways has ever rewarded.
It’s the second project in the state to utilize the Public Private Partnership financing method. The winning project will finish the remaining 14.6 miles of U.S. 35. Once the Notice to Proceed has been issued, Bizzack will begin with design, utility, relocation and environmental permitting work.
It’s expected the major construction involved won’t begin till Spring of 2016. Completion is expected in October 2018 and the four-lanes will be open to drivers in the fall of 2019.
It's a spectacular piece of highway, both physically and scenery-wise, especially up in the mountains. I've lived, worked and traveled all over the country and it's probably the most scenic highway I've been on East of the Rockies.
Anyhoo, I know some of us have talked about this and one of the crucial factors in speeding up what has been a historically slow process, especially until somewhat recently from what I can gather, is the funding mechanism and process for getting things done. A public-private partnership has been seen as a solution by many to expedite this. I noticed they've implemented the P3 in not only Corridor H recently, but U.S. Hwy 35 down in the Southwest part of the state, too. I would think this is good news, no?
I don't necessarily expect Corridor H to be completed by 2020, though I wish it were true, but I would think if we could continue to pick up the pace that things would certainly be well ahead of the previous projected completion dates somewhere in the mid-2030's, which is flat out unacceptable as far as I'm concerned. I know the section from Parsons up to Davis is a big 10-12 mile climb up the mountain in some treacherous terrain and that won't be easy.
Thoughts?
-------
Local leaders on Thursday celebrated the opening of the 4.4 mile section of Corridor H, between the Bismarck and the Tucker County line, with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, along with Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox, representatives for Senators Manchin and Capito, and Federal Highway Administration, West Virginia Division Administrator Tom Smith, attended the event.
"Completing Corridor H has been a work in progress for a number of years, and I'm pleased we are able to announce work on an additional stretch of roadway to bring this project one-step closer to completion," Gov. Tomblin said, "These continued efforts are made possible through public-private partnerships that not only save taxpayers' dollars, but help to speed up construction and spur economic growth. By investing in our infrastructure, we have the potential to impact both our state and local economies. I look forward to announcing the bidding process for this new stretch of road in a few weeks."
There are plans to put in an additional 7.5 mile stretch of the Appalachian Corridor H project out to bid in the coming weeks. This will be a new stretch of the 4 lane highway, which will go from Kerens and half way up to Parsons. With this opening, 91 miles of the approximately 132 total miles of Corridor H is open to traffic; 69 percent of the total Corridor H is complete in West Virginia.
When Corridor H is completed, it will connect Interstate 79 near Weston, with the junction of Interstate 81 and 66 in Front Royal, Va.
"Opening another 4.4 miles and beginning the process for a new section of roadway, highlight years of aggressive work by many organizations to finish Corridor H as quickly as possible," said Mattox.
"The Corridor H project has been around for a long time, but we are continuing to make great progress and hope with this new momentum, we can continue to see good things happen as we bring the last of the unfinished corridor in West Virginia closer to completion.
Construction on the new section of highway is expected to begin in the spring of 2016.
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Corridor H to follow P3 funding option
By Jeff Jenkins in News
May 28, 2015 at 5:20PM
BISMARCK, W.Va. — Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin took the opportunity Thursday while helping to cut the ribbon on a new 4.4-mile stretch of Corridor H to announce the state Division of Highways will use a different financing model to build the next 7.5 miles of the much-talked about highway.
Tomblin has instructed the DOH to put the section from Kerens to Parsons out to bid under the public-private partnership option. State Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox applauded the decision.
“We’ve constructed a lot of highway on Corridor H over the past 10 years and we currently have a lot of momentum and it’s great to see that momentum being carried forward,” Mattox told MetroNews.
PPP allows the DOH to choose a contractor, which in turn chooses an engineer on the project. The DOH then evens out its monthly payments for the project over the life of the contract instead of paying a contractor more when more work is being done. Mattox said the option, which is currently being used on the Coalfields Expressway and U.S. Route 35, is working well. He said it’s possible with a project like Corridor H the payments would have to be extended beyond the construction.
“They are going to be pretty expensive sections of highway,” Mattox said. “It may be you may need to extend those payments over a 10 to 15-year period, something of that magnitude, an additional 5 to 10 years beyond the construction period.”
The Corridor H Authority supports the PPP option being used on the rest of Corridor H in order to finish the highway by 2020.
The last section to open, which was celebrated Thursday, takes the road from Bismarck in Grant County to the Tucker County line.
“It’s just a beautiful highway. It takes you right in that Mount Storm area where you are coming up and getting on top of the mountain. It’s just a gorgeous view, a world-class highway,” Mattox said.
An additional 10-mile stretch leading into Davis in Tucker County is set to open later this year. Mattox said adding the 7.5 miles announced Thursday will complete all but 25 miles of the road.
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Winning Bid Announced for Remaining Construction of US 35
By ASSOCIATED PRESS • JUN 2, 2015
The West Virginia Department of Highways announced the winning bid Tuesday for the construction to complete U.S. Route 35 that runs in Mason and Putnam Counties.
Governor Earl Ray Tomblin along with Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox announced that Bizzack Construction LLC of Lexington, Kentucky had the winning bid. Bizzack had a winning bid of $174,450,000, making it the largest contract the West Virginia Division of Highways has ever rewarded.
It’s the second project in the state to utilize the Public Private Partnership financing method. The winning project will finish the remaining 14.6 miles of U.S. 35. Once the Notice to Proceed has been issued, Bizzack will begin with design, utility, relocation and environmental permitting work.
It’s expected the major construction involved won’t begin till Spring of 2016. Completion is expected in October 2018 and the four-lanes will be open to drivers in the fall of 2019.
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