Contractors will temporarily close the RHL Boulevard connector from Jefferson Road on Thursday, September 26, 2024, to complete the next phase of the Jefferson Road widening project. The connector is scheduled to reopen by Friday, Novembre 15, 2024, so as not to interfere with the busy holiday shopping season.
The road, which includes a 420-foot bridge, connects Jefferson Road with the Trace Fork Shopping Center in South Charleston. The connector opened ahead of schedule in October 2023, just in time for the holidays.
The RHL connector is part of a tri-tiered effort by the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) to alleviate traffic congestion on Corridor G and Jefferson Road in Charleston and South Charleston that also includes widening Jefferson Road and speeding up traffic through the Oakwood Road interchange of Corridor G. The RHL connector provides an alternate entrance and exit from Trace Fork, allowing drivers access to the shopping center from either Corridor G or Jefferson Road.
Triton Construction Inc. was awarded the construction contract for $10,942,950 In October 2021.
The construction of two Restricted Crossing U-Turns (R-CUTs) at the Oakwood Road intersection on Corridor G, completed in September 2021, significantly reduced congestion in the mornings and afternoons. Oakwood Road provides access to several schools, which used to cause traffic backups during those hours and during the holiday shopping season.
The third major project is widening Jefferson Road to five lanes between US 60 in South Charleston and Corridor G. The project also replaces a bad dogleg intersection at Jefferson Road and the Kanawha Turnpike with a new bridge and roundabout.
Kokosing Construction Company was awarded a contract for $46.8 million to design and build the project in April 2019. The widening project is expected to be complete in the spring of 2025.