Dear Bicycle Board,

I am forwarding this message on behalf of David Bruffy.  It sounds like the DOH is intending to put a turning lane through the Krepps Park region, and that they are moving quickly to implement the project with their own design plans.  This is the same area that Gregg Good was building a bicycle/pedestrian corridor; he had completed half the project when DOT suddenly pulled the funding away.   You can still visit the unfinished bridge in the valley of Chipps Hollow:


Ladies and Gentlemen,
 
I am writing to make sure you are informed of planned safety improvements along the lower end (Star City side) of Mon Boulevard.
 
The MPO met on Monday evening for their regular, December Meeting.  As frequently happens, the State DOH asked us to consider amendments to the local Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP).  This TIP Amendment is a requirement of Federal Highways that must be met before spending Federal Department of Highways dollars and it is obviously intended to insure local, public input.  As often happens, the requests were not provided in time for the MPO’s Citizen’s Advisory Committee or the Technical Advisory Committee to meet and discuss the requests.  Additionally, very little information is typically provided with these requests such as project design drawings and the reasoning and data supporting proposed road improvement projects.  Highways often uses Highway Safety Improvement Funds for these projects (may not be the exact, correct name), and these funds and projects are not included in the regular MPO planning process, nor is the local community typically given opportunity for prioritization of projects, as was the case for this proposed improvement to Mon Boulevard.
 
The DOH was requesting an amendment to the TIP to allow a $1.7 million dollar safety improvement project to add a turning lane to Mon Boulevard from the Patteson intersection all the way through to Star City.  No description or information was provided as to pedestrian crossing accommodations at areas like the WVU Soccer Field, Canfield Street or Chipps Hollow Road, nor was any information provided to show how the roadway edges would be treated for sidewalks or bike lanes.  The MPO did not approve this request, but it will be considered again at the January MPO meeting, after the MPO Citizen’s Advisory and Technical Advisory Committees have reviewed the proposal.  Since this is a “safety” project, I expect there to be a hard push by DOH for quick approval of this proposal.
 
I encourage you to look into the matter as it affects your interests for bicyclist, pedestrians and our community in general.  I wouldn’t want to see another roadway without shoulders like the 705 “repaving” project between Stewartstown Road and the Mileground, and I doubt you would either.
 
Thanks you for your efforts to make our community a better place to live.
 
Sincerely,

David Bruffy, CCTM
General Manager
Mountain Line Transit Authority
420 DuPont Road
Morgantown, WV  26501
Bruffy@busride.org
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