MORGANTOWN — Whether it’s the city’s comprehensive plan or the local MPO’s metropolitan transportation plan, removing the never-ending procession of heavy trucks from downtown Morgantown has been identified time and again as a headline wishlist item.
So, what’s being done to make it happen?
Perhaps a better question is what can be done?
This past week, members of the Morgantown Traffic Commission said they’d like to take a closer look and return the once-controversial topic to the public forum.
The commission tasked its chair, Brennan Williams, with putting together a scope of work for a study that would be distilled into a report presented to Morgantown City Council.
“I think this would start with an assessment of where we are today, since the last time there was a big push to accomplish this, and really have discussions between the city, the public and stakeholders who are involved with the actual truck traffic and see if there are any feasible alternatives,” Williams said.
The city says it’s willing to prioritize any solutions that make sense while supporting local commerce and community interests.
The truck issue last came to the fore in September 2014, when Morgantown City Council officially defined “heavy truck” and banned their use in the city’s downtown business district.
A trio of companies immediately filed suit, claiming the streets used by trucks are state routes and therefore not the city’s to govern.
Three months later, a Kanawha County Circuit Court judge agreed, ruling the city overstepped its authority in restricting access to state routes. That ruling was ultimately upheld by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals in April 2016.
While the direct approach was shut down in the courts, a more roundabout effort was taking shape.
Going back nearly a decade, local officials have pushed an overhaul of Green Bag Road with the hopes that truck drivers would one day choose that route as an alternative to the shorter trip through downtown traffic.
The first of two projects likely needed to achieve that goal is finally ready to proceed.
Mountaineer Contractors was awarded an $18.3 million contract in December to widen a segment of the road and build roundabouts at the Kingwood Pike and Mississippi Street intersections.
The work is expected to stretch into late 2027, according to the DOH. The second phase of improvements — which would address the rest of Green Bag Road as well as its intersection with Don Knotts Boulevard — is anticipated to follow at some point.
In the meantime, the wheels keep on turning.
According to numbers generated by the West Virginia Division of Highways, there are portions of Pleasant Street and University Avenue (between Fayette and Pleasant) that see more than 700 trucks daily. The segment of Walnut Street between High Street and University Avenue sees an average of 552 trucks daily according to the DOH. That’s 10% of the average daily traffic on that section of road.
Morgantown Staff Engineer Drew Gatlin described the truck issue as “a place where there’s general communal unrest and frustration,” but nobody really working on the issue in a comprehensive manner — despite the air and noise pollution, as well as impacts to road conditions and traffic.
As an example of those impacts, Gatlin said one full dump truck is the equivalent of 10,000 personal vehicles in terms of pavement degradation.
It was suggested that if the commission takes the initiative to study the truck issue it may spur movement from the city and/or the DOH.
“You all have asked the city to look at this. You’ve asked the DOH to look at this. It hasn’t happened. It may actually require you, if you do want it to happen, to actually do it. I believe that’s the implication,” Gatlin said.
In a statement provided to The Dominion Post, the city said commercial truck traffic is a complex issue that affects residents as well as the local economy, and that it is “currently working to develop strategies that limit the negative impacts caused by through-truck traffic.”
“The MPD [Morgantown Police Department] is actively ensuring that all trucks utilizing routes within city limits are securing and covering whatever they might be hauling, which has helped decrease debris issues. We look forward to discussing other options that prove to be beneficial for everyone as we move forward and will provide additional information as it becomes available.”
