GARY — Residents of a small McDowell County community now have a new access road to and from their homes with help from local and state officials.
A private bridge linking the Sunburst Drive community with Route 103 in Gary was washed out following the destructive Feb. 15 flood. Since that time the only way residents could get in and out of their community was by walking on the nearby railroad tracks.
However, in recent weeks, work has been completed on a new access road that links the community with Route 103. The asphalt was finished and the road was recently opened, according to Cecil Patterson, a member of the McDowell County Commission.
“The last couple of weeks we put the asphalt on it,” Patterson said Thursday, adding it was a “team effort” involving the state, the county and several private coal companies that helped out.
“Basically that little community is landlocked by the bridge and the railroad,” Patterson said. “It’s just one access in and one access out.”
After it was determined that the bridge was not state-owned and therefore not eligible to be repaired with state funds, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection partnered with local government officials and several private businesses to construct an alternate route into the community. The new access road extends nearly a quarter of a mile.
Patterson said the road isn’t a “finished product,” and still needs additional work. But residents living in Sunburst Drive can now use it to get in and out of the community.
A number of entities helped with the construction of the new access road, according to a statement provided by the office of Governor Patrick Morrisey.
The West Virginia Division of Highways helped to facilitate the donation of materials for local volunteers to utilize in the construction and improvement of the access road. Private companies including Taishan Resources, Baystar Coal Company, West Virginia Paving, and Southern Minerals provided equipment, labor, and materials. Cleveland Cliffs and Pocahontas Land provided the right of way to proceed on the project. Taishan Resources cleared debris and removed the remnants of the old bridge from the river. Baystar Coal Company purchased and hauled 365 tons of gravel, provided heavy equipment, and assisted in clearing debris, the governor’s office said.
“This is a great example of West Virginians pulling together to solve a problem,” Morrisey said in a prepared statement. “State and local officials worked side-by-side with our coal and industry partners to make sure these families once again have a safe, reliable way to get in and out of their neighborhood. I want to thank everyone who stepped up to make this happen.”
The McDowell County Commission also helped with the new road, providing an excavator, truck and crews to spread gravel and 90 tons of asphalt millings with the county’s Emergency Management office and Norfolk Southern Railroad also providing additional coordination and support.
Patterson said the county commission will help as it can in the future, but added the road will likely be maintained by the city of Gary in the future since it is located in the city limits.
“Anything we can do to help,” Patterson said. “President (Michael) Brooks, Commissioner (Dewayne) Dotson, myself and Jennifer Wimmer. Things got destroyed (by the flood) county wide, and we are just looking at each one of them to see everyway we can help. So the county, the coal companies, all of these individuals helped.”
Gary Mayor Robert Little was unavailable Thursday for additional comment, but officials at city hall confirmed that several families live at Sunburst Drive in Gary and will benefit from the new access road.
In addition to the new access road, state agencies have carried out extensive recovery efforts in McDowell County following the February flood, according to the governor’s office.
That work to date has included:
• The DOH allocated an estimated $19 million in 184 road and infrastructure repairs.
• The West Virginia National Guard contributed 6,960 hours of manpower to complete four projects valued at $780,000, providing rapid on-the-ground support.
• The West Virginia Conservation Agency completed 15 stream restoration and stabilization projects with a combined value of $332,000.
• The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection provided 773 hours of work for site assessment and coordination with contractors on five remediation projects, representing $124,000 in agency resources.
Altogether, these agencies have completed 208 projects totaling more than 63,000 hours of work and $20.3 million in state resources, labor, and equipment to help restore safety and stability in McDowell County, Morrisey said.
Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com