Editorials, Opinion

W.Va.’s other state flower

It’s officially spring! You can tell because West Virginia’s state flower is blooming all along West Virginia’s roadways. Not the rhododendron — the orange construction cone.

We love it as much as we hate it. Traffic snarls. Unexpected detours. Getting ticketed in a “work zone” because there is a single cone within 10 miles. But after all the inconvenience, we get freshly paved roads — or at least patched potholes.

Since the weather is starting to get nicer (this week excluded), we’ll see road crews out and about, making repairs or repaving. Here’s your reminder to please slow down when passing these men and women at work.

And since work crews are out and about, we’d like to share ways to get that nasty pothole on your commute addressed.

For city roads, you can contact Morgantown’s Engineering and Public Works by phone at 304-291-7465 or by email at engineering@morgantownwv.gov. Be as specific as possible regarding the location of the pothole.

For non-city roads maintained by the DOH, you can call the DOH at 304-285-3207. You can also contact the DOT at 833-WVROADS (833-987-6237), email at wvroads@wv.gov or fill out a request form at https://dotforms.wv.gov/cra/. If you aren’t sure if the road you’re reporting is a city or state road, start with the DOH; they can redirect you if need be.

We know that few things rile up West Virginians like potholes and bad roads, but if you decide to reach out to the city, the DOH or the DOT, please be kind to whomever you’re speaking with. Remember: You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.