Wetzel County Action Group (WCAG)

Board Hears Safety Concerns

BY BILL ABRAHAM, Staff Writer

Four Wetzel County residents, all members of the Wetzel County Action Group, asked the board of education Jan. 7 to join its efforts to curb increased commercial trucking activity on county roads it says are a risk to the safety of students.

A spokesman for the group, New Martinsville resident Ray Renaud, said much of the traffic on the county’s secondary roadways is caused by increased oil and gas exploration in the Silver Hill area of the county.

Rose Baker said a truck carrying exploration supplies and equipment clipped a mirror from the side of her vehicle and had to be stopped sometime later by law enforcement, whose busy schedule often causes delays in their response to calls for assistance in more rural areas of the county.

Board President Mike Blair said the board shared their concern for student safety and would make its own inquiries into the issue. Blair also asked the group to coordinate board-level contact through Director of Transportation Brian Jones and Superintendent Bill Jones.

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Presentation by Ray

There has been a dramatic increase in truck traffic on Doolin Route, Friendship Ridge, Route 89 to Silver Hill, and their feeder routes due to gas extraction activities by Chesapeake Energy Corporation. There are days that over 50 trucks use these routes. These are very large trucks, including overweight loads and wide loads, on a road that is not wide enough for a center line along most of its length. Seven more wells are scheduled to start in February and the work is projected to last 7 to 10 years. This has led to a dangerous situation that has resulted in several accidents caused by this activity.

In response to this situation the affected citizens have formed the Wetzel County Action Group to work towards maximizing the safety of the residents and truckers using the these roads. Most of all we want to insure the safety of the students riding the school busses on these routes. To further that goal we would like to partner with the Board of Education to insure the safety of the students. We are developing recommendations for the safe use of these roads and would like you to join us and our other partners in supporting these efforts. We are currently partnering with and receiving support from the Wetzel County Commission, Volunteer Fire Departments, EMS Squads and the Post Office.