County commission guarantees payment for Exit 155 design work
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MORGANTOWN - HDR, the firm working on the planning and design of the $135 million redesign of I-79 Exit 155, has a Sept. 1 deadline to deliver plans and designs for phase 1 of the project.
According to a letter approved by the Monongalia County Commission, the global company also has expressed at least some level of concern about being paid the remaining $280,000 owed to hit that deadline in light of WestRidge's corporate reorganization via Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
In a letter to HDR Area Manager Chad Davis dated Aug. 12, the commission states its confidence in WestRidge to make that payment in connection with the conclusion of its reorganization prior to the end of August.
"If WestRidge does not arrange for the payment referenced above by Aug. 21 however, the county commission hereby agrees to either (i) cause WestRidge to make the payment pursuant to the County Commission's development agreements with WestRidge or (ii) directly make the payment itself no later than Aug. 28, 2026."
Steptoe & Johnson attorney Jason Turner explained that if the commission ends up making any additional payments, it would be credited against the amount the commission has already approved paying under the three-party agreement between the county, WestRidge and the West Virginia Division of Highways.
Per that agreement, about half the $135 million project’s cost – $67.2 million – will be provided by the state. Roughly $54.3 million will come by way of a federal MEGA Grant awarded in 2024, and the final 10% or so, totaling approximately $13.5 million, will be provided locally by WestRidge and the county. The local contribution includes design dollars already spent.
The overall project will reconfigure the interchange, replace aging bridges, construct a two-lane flyover for westbound traffic leaving Morgantown, and improve Chaplin Hill Road in the area adjacent to Exit 155 into a multi-lane boulevard-style roadway.