Motorists travelling on MacCorkle Avenue in Kanawha City may think that work to revamp the section of highway has slowed down.
But work rebuilding MacCorkle Avenue from 33rd Street to 40th Street is going on every night.
Most of the work has been underground as contractors install drainpipes, storm drains and gutters. Most work is going on from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. to minimize disruptions to the traveling public.
“It hasn’t been visible to the public, but we’ve been trucking along,” said project supervisor Andy Womack.
In October 2021, Mountaineer Contractors Inc. was awarded a contract for $10,036,333.91 to completely rebuild MacCorkle Avenue curb to curb between 33rd and 40th streets. The project will also ensure proper drainage and is intended to keep MacCorkle Avenue safe and smooth for years.
Womack said contractors have been digging and installing drains while most people sleep. When they’re finished for the night, they cover the work area with steel plates until paving can take place. The steel plates are one of the clues that work continues.
Contractors are preparing to put in new curbs and gutters along MacCorkle Avenue. “In a few weeks we’ll be drilling for new lighting and pouring new sidewalks,” Womack said.
During the fall of 2021, contractors SQP Construction Group completed a $570,000 project to install 105 ADA-compliant curb cuts on MacCorkle Avenue intersections between 35th Street and 58th Street. Completion of the curb cuts was necessary before work could begin on the roadway.
One final project will completely repave MacCorkle Avenue from 40th Street to 56th Street. That contract is expected to go out for bid in the coming months.
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