Both lanes of Interstate 79 South will be closed at the Pleasant Valley exit (Exit 135) beginning at 4 a.m. Monday, July 10, 2023, to prepare to shift southbound traffic into the northbound lanes. The work is part of an ongoing project to widen I-79 to six lanes between South Fairmont and the Pleasant Valley exit.
Crews will work on the crossover between southbound and northbound lanes. I-79 North and I-79 South are at different elevations in the area.
During construction, southbound traffic will take the Pleasant Valley off-ramp (Exit 135) toward Millersville Road and immediately get back onto I-79 South using the on-ramp. A secondary detour during peak traffic times will be Millersville Road to Pleasant Valley Road, and back onto I-79 South at the Kingmont exit (Exit 133).
Flaggers and law enforcement will direct traffic.
The work zone will be well-marked with signs and barrels, and attenuator crash barrier trucks will be on site.
Work is expected to take about a week.
With work continuing on I-79, the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) urges motorists to slow down and pay attention in work zones.
In 2022, there were 800 crashes in West Virginia work zones, killing eight people and injuring 276. Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, P.E., has vowed to do everything possible to eliminate work zone fatalities in the Mountain State, including installation of more message boards and radar speed monitors in work zones, collecting crash data to better target work zone safety response, and asking our media partners to help spread the word about obeying speed limits and traffic laws in work zones.