The KYOVA Interstate Planning Commission is conducting the Ohio River Bridge Feasibility Study to evaluate the need for a new crossing over the Ohio River between West Virginia and Ohio.
The KYOVA Interstate Planning Commission is conducting the Ohio River Bridge Feasibility Study to evaluate the need for a new crossing over the Ohio River between West Virginia and Ohio.
HUNTINGTON Ƶ A project that proposes a bridge over the Ohio River northeast of Huntington, a concept first introduced in the 1960s, continues to make progress today.
Chris Chiles, executive director of the KYOVA Interstate Planning Commission, said the project is still in the early stages with the final report for its planning and environmental linkages (PEL) study to be submitted this summer. Before it is finalized, the public will have the chance to learn what the study found, hear more about the proposed bridge crossing and provide comments.
KYOVA will host the public informational meeting for the Ohio River Bridge PEL study from 4:30-6 p.m. March 18, at 400 3rd Ave. in Huntington. The meeting will be in an open format, with a brief presentation at 5:15 p.m.
Chiles said the project is to provide a cross-river system linkage connecting W.Va. 2 to Ohio 7 with connections to major U.S. highways and Interstate 64 and provide improved access for economic development and growth in the region.
It would be constructed at the end of the Merritts Creek connector, also known as the Big Ben Bowen Highway and W.Va. 193, and would connect on the Ohio side with the Chesapeake bypass, Chiles said.
ƵWhat the study will show is that having the bridge and the corresponding outer belt will provide opportunities for economic development and growth in Cabell and Lawrence counties,Ƶ he said.
In September 2020, KYOVA issued its first feasibility study on the proposed bridge. The study evaluated the corridorƵs ability to meet future traffic needs, enhance regional connectivity, support future economic development and create more pedestrian use while minimizing impacts to the community and environment.
The new bridge, if built, would complete the Tri-State Outer Belt project that began in the 1950s and 1960s with Interstate 64 and the West 17th Street bridge and continued into the 1980s with the Chesapeake, Ohio, bypass and later with construction of the new Ohio 7 in Rome Township. The bridge would give Ohio residents better access to the eastern end of Cabell County.
ƵOne of the key features of having the bridge that connects W.Va. 2 with Ohio 7 is you will then have in essence an outer belt between Ohio and West Virginia where you will have the 17th Street West Bridge and this proposed new bridge at the western and eastern parts of the outer belt,Ƶ Chiles said. ƵThen you will have the Chesapeake bypass connecting the two on the Ohio side and I-64 connecting the two bridges on the West Virginia side and so when you put all that together it creates a multi-state metropolitan outer belt within the region.Ƶ
Chiles said he does not have an estimate on how long the full project would take to complete. ItƵs a large undertaking that will take some time to ultimately see it through completion, he said.
One of the reasons that KYOVA is doing the PEL study is because itƵs something it can fund on a local level, Chiles said.
A PEL study is a collaborative approach to decision-making used to identify transportation issues and environmental concerns, according to a KYOVA news release. This integrated approach considers environmental, community and economic goals early in the planning process and uses the information to streamline transportation project development and the environmental review process.
The study has assessed existing and future traffic operations, environmental resources, and economic development opportunities. Three potential bridge crossing alternatives were evaluated.
The PEL study provides some of the preliminary environmental research that will ultimately be needed in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) phase. The NEPA phase will be the full environmental clearance. The PEL study also gives KYOVA the opportunity to build a coalition of supporters and increase collaboration between state and federal agencies and local stakeholders, Chiles said.
After the public meeting, the final report will be submitted this summer. If the project continues, the next steps will be full environmental review and design, Chiles said. These phases are where the project gets expensive and will require significantly more funding and involvement from state and federal agencies.
Additional information and supporting documentations are posted on the KYOVA website at . KYOVA is accepting public comments through April 18.
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