Article: New Rt 9 @ Keyes Gap + Construction Photos

[Willis]

UPDATE: New Rt 9 Alignment @ Keyes Gap

Click on the image above to see a larger version

Courtesy of Commissioner Lyn Widmyer

While questions still remain as to the specifics of the proposed interchange at the intersection of the New Rt 9 and old 9 & Chestnut Hill Rd., the pic below shows the general layout. I suppose we can assume from the road markings in the rather colorful drawings, that there will be stop signs at Old 9 and Chestnut. If so, expect a LONG wait to make the turns. Below find a press release from: Matthew T. Mullenax, GISP Transportation Planner/GIS Analyst Hagerstown/Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization

The attached rendering is intended to demonstrate how the new WV Route 9 will merge with existing WV Route 9 in the vicinity of Chestnut Hill Road in Jefferson County. The drawing was prepared by the WV Department of Transportation Modeling and Visualization staff in the Program, Planning and Administration Division in response to a request by the Hagerstown Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization (HEPMO). Jefferson County Commissioner Lyn Widmyer, Chairperson of HEPMPO, requested the drawing to inform interested citizens how the new intersection will function once the work on the road is completed sometime in 2012. As stated by Commissioner Widmyer, "It is hard to visualize what the new traffic pattern will be; this drawing shows what drivers can expect when the road is completed". The rendering is available to view or download on the HEPMPO website at www.hepmpo.net

Click on the image below to see a larger version
Detail

A detour to Rt 340 south to Berryville may look more promising when this plan becomes reality

[OzGirl]

WOW no merge area from Old 9 to New 9 going East! seems dangerous doesnt it?

[LFE]

Naaaa. It looks like from the pics that old 9 is just going to end with concrete barriers allowing traffic to flow just fine so long as you are on the new 9 :-)

[Davdu]

Just wait for the evening traffic and all those cars needing to make a left onto Old 9!!!!

[derricksonb]

UN-FREAKING-ACCEPTABLE that they could not include merge lanesfor vehicles making right hand turns onto WV Rt9 West from Chestnut and Rt 9 east from Rt115. Instead of destroying the existing roadway of "OLD RT9" as indicated by the rendering the engineers should have repurposed it as an exit ramp for East Bound traffic, but that would have been far too logical for our elite group of backwood geniuses and bureaucraps in Charleston to understand....

They might as well reposition BMVFC5 and build a new permanent station with a helipad at the North East corner of the intersection to minimize response times for the numerous accidents that are going to occur there during morning and afternoon rush hours, and for when our inebriated neighbors from the east return home at 0dark:30 in the morning after a night of gambling at the Racino and blowing their winnings at one of our fine gentlemens clubs.....

[kkrapf]

Ridiculous. Yet again we get the bum rush to benefit everyone else.

[MoeMoe]

absurd...and everything DB says.....wow

[cindylu]

Just wait for the evening traffic and all those cars needing to make a left onto Old 9!!!!

Yeah, how about a stop light or two!! Horrible.

[LFE]

Continue the bridge over old 9, add clover leafs, and continue a new section of 9 South along the East side of the AT allowing it to connect directly to 7.

[derricksonb]

Continue the bridge over old 9, add clover leafs, and continue a new section of 9 South along the East side of the AT allowing it to connect directly to 7.

They had the ideal set up already for establishing a Rt9 overpass for a CHESTNUT HILL/RT115 cloverleaf before they backfilled the old section of road and moved the existing intersection. All they would have had to do was construct a tunnel connecting Chestnut to Old Rt9 (like they did on Bloomery Road) and backfill to establish the new roadway for Rt9 East/West. This would have created a smoother and safer form of ingress/egress to the new Rt9 and allowed for seamless flow of traffic for commuters and residents who use Chestnut Hill Road.

The entire proposal for this intersection is assinine and shows the short-sightedness of the planning commissions and DOH that has plagued this county for decades. Another engineering CF that were going to have to clean up in the future along with the stop light on Rt9 at Fairfax Crossing.

[Davdu]

The math will shake out to be three multi-fatal accidents and then a traffic light which will negate the entire project and put WV back on the stoopit map!

[cjb]

tongue planted in cheek:
Studies clearly show that the majority of vehicles traveling Rt 9 go to & West of Charles Town. Except for a token interchange, there is no need to accommodate local traffic "on the mountain". Overpasses and traffic lighted interchanges are expensive. The tiny number of local commuters that need to turn East onto this new Rt 9 or travel West and turn Left onto the old Rt 9 is minuscule compared to the vast majority of people that use the VA Rt 9 into and out of WV and therefor there is no justification for the added expense.

*BS*

This rendering is how I interpreted the drawings when I reviewed them almost 2 years ago now and advised Lyn W.

And yes, it will be even more dangerous than the Rt 9 & Mission Rd interchange is right now. You will have a greater volume traveling at higher speeds.

[KatherineA]

This is just crazy. This will be such a mess and so dangerous.

[LFE]

Torlones might be able to sell lawn seats to the show?
- Just trying to think on the positive side...

[cindylu]

Without the clover leaf design traffic backup is in our future.

[waveydavey]

Looks like a 3rd grader designed this.. Pretty to look at but has no practical application. So traffic crossing new Rt 9 coming from either Chestnut Hill Rd. or Old Rt. 9 will block all traffic making a right onto new Rt. 9.. Genius!

[Patrick]

If it looks as crazy as it seems for the Mountain after all of the details are known, I would suggest that the Mountain raise some concerns with our elected officials. Sure seems like the commute will be just a little bit longer -- not good. By the way, who is responsible for this mess?

[Kensey]

Not to distract from the issues at hand, but does it seem odd to anyone else that they are apparently going to designate old 9 as WV 115 instead of Route 9 Business? I guess it fits with the current scheme of WV 9 going off around the bypass instead of through town, though...

[OzGirl]

Where is Torlones in all of this? In fact if one wants to stop at Torlones are they going to be able to???? From the pic it looks like Torlones sits on the DEMOLISHED ROAD aka Old 9?

[AAT53]

Someone needs to get the hot wheel tracks out and show that you can design a better road/solution with toys.