CHARLESTON – Eight miles of US Route 35 in Mason County will be complete and opened to traffic Thursday, October 21, around 10:00 a.m.
The $97 million project lies between the old Coast Guard Station at Henderson and County Route 40 (Chief Cornstalk Road).
Said Transportation Secretary Mattox, “In the early 1990’s, this project was identified as a priority need for the area. In 2005 it was identified as the top priority in the state. We have made tremendous progress on this project and I am proud that we are one step closer to completion.”
Currently, all that remains to be constructed of Route 35 in West Virginia is approximately 14 miles, which carry through both Mason and Putnam counties.
While no traditional methods of funding could be secured to finish the 14-miles, the Division of Highways and the Parkways Authority have developed a financial package comprised of additional GARVEE bonds, a Congressional earmark and tolling that will allow the project to be completed in 2013.
Toll rates and toll plaza locations will be determined upon the completion of a bond-grade traffic study being conducted by Jacobs Engineering. The Division of Highways expects the final submission of that study in the coming weeks.
The cost to complete the 14-mile section is estimated around $190 million.