HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 19
(By Delegates Fleischauer, Houston and Marshall and Fletcher)
Requesting the West Virginia Division of Highways of the great need
for preserving the existing controlled access on that portion
of W.V. Route 705 between Willowdale Road and U.S. Route 119
in Monongalia County.
Whereas, W.V. Route 705 was constructed in or about 1979, with
federal highway funds, as a controlled access highway to facilitate
transportation and access to Morgantown and West Virginia
University, the West Virginia Medical Center and West Virginia
University athletic events; and
Whereas,
The House of Delegates recognizes that this controlled
access road serves as a major traffic conduit to and from the
rapidly growing northeast portion of Monongalia County; and
Whereas, The House of Delegates recognizes that W.V. Route 705
serves as a major traffic conduit for West Virginia University
Hospital and Monongalia General Hospital, which have a near
constant flow of ambulances and private vehicles transporting
patients, many in serious and critical medical conditions, to and
from these facilities; and
Whereas, The House of Delegates recognized that this controlled access road, prior to and following significant athletic events at
West Virginia University, is often clogged with vehicles for long
periods of time; and
Whereas, A number of persons, corporations or institutions are
desirous of acquiring, selling or utilizing property along with
limited access portion of W.V. Route 705 for the location of large
retail outlets and other commercial or institutional ventures; and
Whereas, The House of Delegates is mindful of those U.S. and
W.V. Code provisions which provide that, if a road is constructed,
in whole or in part, with federal or state road funds and that
construction results in the abutment of real property that did not
previously abut on it, the owners of that property have no rights
of direct access; and
Whereas,
Official Division of Highways traffic studies indicate
that 22,000 vehicles per day already use this heavily traveled
highway, and eliminating the limited access status will result in
the use of this highway by thousands of additional vehicles; and
Whereas,
W.V. Route 705 changes from four lanes to two lanes at
the Stewartstown Road intersection resulting in enormous traffic
jams at numerous times of the day, especially when employees are
leaving work from Myland Pharmaceuticals and West Virginia
University Medical Center and the federal NIOSH facility; and
Whereas,
The Monongalia County commission is unanimously opposed
to ending controlled access on W.V. Route 705 because they believe it would be detrimental to the quality of life in Monongalia County
and would have the effect of reducing safety and reducing traffic
efficiency to and from that area; and
Whereas,
The House of Delegates recognizes that preserving the
controlled access on W.V. Route 705 at the subject location would
provide for the maximum safety of persons traveling upon, entering
or leaving the highway and would be the best means of promoting the
efficient and rapid movement of traffic to and from that area of
Monongalia County; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the West Virginia Legislature strongly urges the Division
of Highways to preserve the controlled access status now maintained
on W.V. Route 705 between Willowdale Road and U.S. Rt. 119 in
Monongalia County; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates
forward a copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the
Division of Highways.