WVDOH accepts bids for section of King Coal Highway, Beckley Z-Way

An important section of the King Coal Highway and a portion of the Beckley Z-Way bypass project are among 25 projects in a bid letting conducted by the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.

The King Coal Highway project will extend the existing four-lane highway for about 1.5 miles from Mountain View and create a connector to the town of Gilbert along Gilbert Creek. The project will be funded with money from Gov. Jim Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program.

The King Coal Highway is an approximately 95-mile four lane highway that will run through McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Wyoming, and Wayne counties along or near currently existing US 52. The highway will connect US 119 near Williamson to Interstate 77 in Bluefield, and is intended to open up the Mountain State’s coalfields to economic development and connect the region with markets to the north and south. It is part of a federally designated north-south corridor running from Michigan's upper peninsula to the Carolinas.

The Beckley Z-Way project connects Beaver with South Eisenhower Drive in Beckley, and is designed to ease congestion in the area by widening and relocating a portion of US 19. Funding is through Gov. Justice’s Roads to Prosperity program.

Projects on the June 13 bid letting include:

King Coal Highway, Mountain View to Gilbert. (Mingo County) (Roads to Prosperity)
Big Tribble Bridge relocation and replacement. (Marshall County)
District 5 guardrail replacement.
Meadow Bridge and area ADA ramps. (Fayette and Greenbrier counties)
Hedgesville ADA ramps. (Berkeley County)
Ridgely ADA ramps. (Mineral County)
Main Street ADA ramps, Clay. (Clay County)
Big Otter to Frametown Road paving, Interstate 79. (Braxton and Clay counties)
East Street ADA ramps, Parkersburg. (Wood County)
West Main Street and area ADA ramps, Grafton and Flemington. (Taylor County)
McKown Creek Arch Bridge replacement. (Roane County)
District 9 guardrail replacement.
Osborne Mills Bridge replacement. (Roane County)
District 4 guardrail replacement.
US 22 Mainline Bridge rehabilitation. (Brooke County)
US 33 ADA ramps, Ripley, Ravenswood and Cottageville. (Jackson County)
Paint Creek Arch Bridge replacement. (Fayette County)
Fairplain to Ripley Road paving, Interstate 77. (Jackson County)
District 5 WVDOH headquarters wastewater treatment system, Burlington. (Mineral County)
Warm Springs Avenue traffic signal, Martinsburg. (Berkeley County)
Beaver to South Eisenhower Drive construction. (Raleigh County) (Roads to Prosperity)
Vermillion Street traffic signal, Athens. (Mercer County)
Farmdale sidewalk extension, pedestrian and bicycle facility. (Cabell County)
District 1 guardrail replacement.
Willey Street (US 119) paving, Morgantown. (Monongalia County)

Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer’s Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer’s Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources, and whether sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed, and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.

When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.com and handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.

WVDOH accepts bids for section of King Coal Highway, Beckley Z-Way

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