MORGANTOWN – As part of its upcoming meeting, Morgantown City Council is expected to consider on first reading the transfer of approximately four acres of city property along Green Bag Road to the West Virginia Division of Highways for the forthcoming Green Bag Road widening project.
The land includes a small, unimproved portion of White Park and a piece of the property currently utilized by the city garage, located at 200 M-Tec Dr., near the intersection of Green Bag Road and Mississippi Street.
The proposed transfer price is $1,109,592, which, the city explains, reflects the value estimate prepared by DOH in 2024, increased by 5.6% to reflect inflation from the time of the estimate through the anticipated closing in March.
According to the council agenda packet, “The acquired property involves an open portion of the current city garage site which is used for storage of millings and other materials, as well as unimproved areas of White Park. The property transfer will require relocation of some city garage operations to other locations on the same site, but will not impact recreational amenities at White Park.”
There are currently two phases of Green Bag Road improvements in motion.
The first phase, or “central section” as denoted by the DOH, runs generally from Johnathan Lane to Mississippi Street. That work was awarded to Mountaineer Contractors for just over $18.3 million on Dec. 6, 2024 and includes the construction of two roundabouts – one at the intersection of Green Bag Road and Kingwood Pike/Dorsey Avenue, and one at the intersection with Mississippi Street.
Construction on that project has been delayed due to the right-of-way acquisition process. The DOH previously said eight parcels had been recommended for condemnation.
The second phase of work to follow basically includes the rest of Green Bag Road, split into east and west sections – from just beyond Mississippi Street down to, and including, the Green Bag intersection with Don Knotts Boulevard on one end, and from Earl Core Road (WV 7) to Luckey Lane on the other end.
That second phase is considered the Green Bag Road Widening Project.
In addition to wider travel lanes and shoulders, the project will implement continuous sidewalks/shared-use paths and crossings along the entire 3.55-mile road.
