Work is set to begin on state Route 2 road slip in Newell
NEWELL -- Crews scheduled to arrive in Hancock County on Friday are expected to begin repair work on an approximately 200-foot-long slippage on state Route. 2, just south of the Newell Bridge.
Charlie Swart, maintenance engineer for WVDOH District 6, describes slippage as damage that occurs when the subjacent supports of the roadway give way and the soil or rock down below moves. It can totally move and disappear resulting in losing a lane from the road. It can shift and cause problems in the roadway structure or cause the lane to drop.
Swart noted, the situation in Newell, which occurred in late July, is not a massive slip like those seen in some areas, but it is enough to warrant closing a lane.
While traffic has been somewhat impeded by the addition of a traffic signal and alternating traffic through the area, the road remains passable.
"We have the signals up to create a safe situation," Swart said. "But, unfortunately, with that, comes inconveniences for the traveling public."
Geo Stabilization International, a specialized contractor, will be doing the repair work using a process called soil nails.
The soil nails which Swart describes as a bunch of pins going into the slip lane at an angle to stitch it together, has been chosen over the traditional pile wall repair due to the overhead utilities in the area, which would need to be moved to use that method for repairs.
Once the slippage has been stabilized with the soil nails, the road above it will be repaired.
Repair work is expected to take approximately two to two-and-a-half weeks.
During the work the road conditions will remain as they are currently with alternating traffic on one lane.
Travelers are asked to drive with extreme caution through the work area.
"We understand the impacts and it's not an ideal situation for anybody right now," Swart said. "We are moving as quickly as we can to get this taken care of so that those impacts are mitigated for the traveling public and businesses, but we have to work around the contractor's schedule as well."
Swart asks that travelers be safe around the work zone and drive with caution in the area where workers are present.
"It may seem like it's taking a while and it has, but we have been working to get a repair in place since the day it happened," Swart said. "We definitely appreciate the patience of the public while we work to fix this unsafe situation."