A large number of concerned citizens attended the meeting of the Putnam County Transportation Committee.
The Putnam County Commission chambers in the Old Courthouse in Winfield can accommodate close to 250 attendees. More than half of the seats were filled at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, May 19th. The large gathering was prompted by a meeting of the Putnam County Transportation Committee. The committee regularly meets every other month to address maintenance issues relating to roads maintained by the WVDOT.
While maintenance was discussed, the WVDOT’s plan to widen Teays Valley Road was the number one concern of those present. The vast majority in attendance were in opposition to the department’s plan to construct four roundabouts and a medium to prevent left hand turns onto the road.
Close to a dozen individuals spoke out against the roundabouts but there was no representative from the Department of Transportation present to hear their concerns. Steven Holmes, Maintenance Manager of WVDOH District 1, was present. Road widening project planning, however, is not part of his job description.
At the March meeting of the committee DOH officials defended their plan as the least costly and the best for traffic safety. No one from the WVDOT was present to address plans for the road on Monday.
Brian Ellis, the member of the committee representing the county commission, read a statement issued by the DOH which said that the West Virginia Division of Highways has temporarily paused the Teays Valley Road Widening Project for review.
A complete and thorough review is necessary because the roundabout option fails to address current traffic congestion. Roundabouts reduce the number of traffic accidents because motorists must drive at slower speeds. Fewer accidents occur when traffic is crawling at 10 mph than at 30 mph. Slower traffic flow does not relieve congestion. It contributes to its severity.
The roundabout design is mandated by safety constraints, not by traffic congestion considerations. The addition of a center turning lane allows for faster traffic flow and less congestion.
When the WVDOT presented roundabouts as a possible option at Teays Valley Christian School on July 16, 2024, the proposal received little attention because most attendees did not realize that it would not reduce congestion.
A review of the roundabout option will not produce a change unless officials consider the congestion issue which Teays Valley Road users experience each and every day.
