CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Ryan Canfield, a Project Engineer for the West Virginia Division of Highways got out early Wednesday morning and drove the new traffic pattern in Charleston that he helped manage. He liked what he saw on Corridor G near Oakwood Road.
Motorists began to use the Oakwood Intersection Improvement project on Wednesday morning, 13 months after construction began. The new pattern includes two new Restricted Crossing U-Turns for improving traffic flow off Oakwood Road. These are the first Restricted Crossing U-Turns in West Virginia.
“I saw a lot of positivity out it. Traffic was taking to it and using the R-Cut properly. It’s still going to be one of those things over the next few weeks, it’s going to take time for everyone to get used to it. It did look promising this morning (Wednesday),” Canfield said.
Drivers coming from Oakwood Road can use the new R-Cut at Hickory Road to make a U-turn, while a second R-Cut between Lawndale Lane and Lucado Road will serve traffic from the other direction. All left-hand turns in that area have been eliminated.
Canfield said that concrete islands will be installed, as part of the finishing touches on the project, to help motorists see what direction they have to go. He also said there is paving that needs finishing to even the road.
“The paint will have to be done again, concrete work for those islands, a little bit of fill needs to go in the medians in between the two curbs going north and southbound,” Canfield said of the finishing touches he hopes to have done by Mid-October.
Canfield hopes motorists of the busy section of Charleston, with traditionally backed-up traffic during rush hour and school hours, will be patient. He says it usually takes around 30 days for a new pattern to become second nature for a driver.
“Any travelers just pay attention, be alert and be patient. Being patient with the process on it is important,” Canfield said.