If your daily drive takes you up and down Interstate 79 through Harrison County, here's one to mark on your mental map. A pair of interstate bridges near Lost Creek is headed for a major makeover, and drivers will be sharing one lane through the work zone while it happens.
The West Virginia Division of Highways has awarded Perk Company Inc. a contract worth $5,680,580.50 to rehabilitate the northbound and southbound Browns Creek bridges on I-79. The twin spans carry the interstate over Browns Creek and Mount Clare Road, about a mile north of the Lost Creek exit.
What Crews Will Do
The two bridges are getting different treatments. On the southbound side, the entire bridge deck, the concrete driving surface itself, will be torn out and replaced. The northbound bridge will get a deck overlay, a new layer laid over the existing surface to extend its life.
According to the Division of Highways, one lane of traffic will stay open through the construction area for the length of the project. Contractors are aiming to wrap up the work by the winter of 2027, so this is a long-haul job, not a weekend closure.
Part of a Bigger Batch of Road Projects
The Browns Creek job is one of 20 construction projects the Division of Highways awarded from a bid letting held October 20. Two more Harrison County jobs were on that list: Bear Contracting LLC came in with the low bid of $5,917,942.67 for paving and guardrail work on Mount Clare Road, and J.F. Allen Company was low bidder at $2,062,496.15 for paving on WV 58, better known to locals as Cost Avenue.
The state says it weighs several things before handing out a contract, including how a bid stacks up against the agency's own engineer's estimate, how badly the work is needed, what happens if it waits, and whether other funding is available. Most projects are reviewed and awarded within about a week of a bid letting, though some take longer.
What It Means for Drivers
I-79 is the backbone of north-central West Virginia, linking Clarksburg and Bridgeport with Weston to the south and Morgantown to the north. Anyone who travels that stretch regularly, whether commuting to work, hauling freight or heading to a game in Morgantown, should plan on a narrowed roadway once crews set up, and leave a little extra time.
A specific start date for lane restrictions has not been announced yet. We'll keep an eye on it, and as always, slow down and give those road crews room to work. They're out there making our roads safer for all of us.