PAVING PLANNED – Del. Jimmy Willis, R-Brooke, announced Tuesday he had spoken to West Virginia Division of Highways officials, who reported the state planned to seek bids this winter to pave the right lanes of U.S. 22, with the work scheduled for next year. -- Craig Howell

WELLSBURG — Plans are in the works to pave parts of U.S. 22, according to one local member of the West Virginia House of Delegates.

The condition of various local roadways has been at the forefront of several discussions in Brooke County, with paving projects on Washington Pike in Wellsburg, and an area on Route 2 leading south of the city scheduled to begin this week. As part of Tuesday’s county commission meeting, Del. Jimmy Willis, R-Brooke, brought more news.

Willis said he had spoken, last week, with officials within the West Virginia Division of Highways, and there are plans to pave the right lanes of U.S. 22 – the slow lanes – sometime next year.

“The money will be there, and it will be put out to bid this winter,” Willis said, emphasizing the importance of making a good first impression, saying U.S. 22 often is the first road visitors to the region drive on.

While the full scope of the project has yet to be released, Willis said he is anticipating the maintenance to stretch from the Pennsylvania state line to the Veterans Memorial Bridge. While some paving has been done on the highway in recent years, much of the work has focused on patching or sealing potholes and other areas of concern.

Commissioner Thomas Diserio offered his thanks to Willis for staying on top of the issue.

“We know the work you’ve done on our behalf in Charleston,” Diserio said, noting improvements to U.S. 22 will benefit numerous communities in the Ohio Valley. “That’s a huge win for the whole area.”

Willis expressed his appreciation to Secretary of Transportation Todd Rumbaugh, and staff in DOH District 6 which encompasses the Northern Panhandle, saying he feels more attention is being paid to the condition of the state’s roadways than during previous years.

“I have a list of all the roads,” Willis said. “Thankfully, we’re checking a lot of the off.”

As for the projects in the Wellsburg area, Willis noted plans are for paving work to focus on close to 4 miles of Washington Pike, with officials previously reporting crews would begin at its intersection with state Route 2.

Route 2, itself, is set for paving, with Willis reporting work will be between 12th Street in Wellsburg to an area near the Wellsburg Bridge.

In other business, Brooke County Emergency Management Director Greg Moore reported new signage is in place alerting drivers on Route 2 about the possibility of ambulances entering the road from Pleasant Avenue in the north end of Wellsburg.

Heading north, the sign is located 1,000 feet below the egress point, with it set 800 feet away along the southbound lanes.