HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – A day after WSAZ’s conversation with West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, his Department of Transportation is taking action at a work zone where two tractor-trailers crashed on Interstate 64 Thursday.

“What can you do as governor to put some ideas in motion to get a plan out there, so when this happens again, people aren’t stuck in traffic like they were (Thursday)?” WSAZ’s Curtis Johnson asked Thursday.

“I could do what I have already done,” he replied. “I mean contact the powers that be, whether it’s (West Virginia Department of Transportation Secretary) Jimmy Wriston or the powers that be, and say, ‘Do anything and everything you can do.’

Twenty-four hours later, his Department of Transportation issued a press release announcing that the Division of Traffic Engineering would conduct a safety assessment of the work zone in just a few days.

The release also sets out a protocol for when a crash occurs, saying the Highway Division will report the crash to its Transportation Management Center to help get information to emergency services.

In addition, the DOH will provide assistance to the police by asking what they need, including traffic control, equipment and sand among the items. The division will also notify its safety officer and investigator with information about the accident.

As this information was compiled, WSAZ went to local authorities.

Barboursville Police Chief Daren McNeil argued there is no easy fix, insisting that alternate routes simply cannot handle the volume of traffic traveling on Interstate 64.

“Boss, are you satisfied with the way traffic is flowing through your jurisdiction?” Johnson asked Friday.

“No,” McNeil replied. “I can’t wait for this build to be finished.”

“You’re not happy when those accidents happen, how the traffic backs up,” Johnson responded. “As chief of police, what are you doing to fix this?”

“Well, we’re trying to work as quickly as we can, and with our other partner agencies, the Highways Department and the construction people themselves to get on site as quickly as possible to try and do it safely. , because when you have boots on the ground safety is definitely number one,” he replied.

“If officers would signal people through those major intersections, would that make a difference,” Johnson asked.

“You know, I don’t know,” McNeil replied. “I don’t know if you had a police officer on every corner — yeah, maybe that would work. I don’t — I don’t know for sure.”

The police chief says traffic lights also serve this purpose. However, he admits that those traffic lights alone aren’t enough to move that amount of traffic efficiently.

“This construction project is going to continue for months, and if there’s another truck accident tomorrow, do you have any plans to see traffic moving through your jurisdiction better than it did (Thursday)?” Johnson asked.

“Well, I can monitor Route 60,” McNeil replied. “I can go down and look at it, but we all know you rely on the lights themselves. When you’re deploying all your resources to try to open the interstate as quickly as possible, you can’t do much on the secondary road that you’re diverting all the traffic to.”

State highway officials said they are working with Barboursville to increase police presence in the work zone.

The argument goes, by reducing speeding and distracted driving, police will be able to reduce accidents and the resulting backups.

The police chief said the construction company meets with state and local officials, including himself, once a month to discuss the project. He says this week’s accidents will be a topic at their next meeting.

For related coverage >>> I-64 reopens after fiery semi crashes

Traffic nightmare after second crash on I-64; all lanes since reopened

East Pea Ridge residents remember the moments after the I-64 crash

Copyright 2024 WSAZ. All rights reserved.