FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
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Gov. Justice, WVDOT hold groundbreaking ceremony for Culloden Interchange Roads to Prosperity project
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Gov. Justice, WVDOT hold groundbreaking ceremony for Culloden Interchange Roads to Prosperity project
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CULLODEN, WV – Gov. Jim Justice joined West Virginia Department of Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, P.E., today to officially break ground on a project to build a new exit on Interstate 64 at Culloden.
The interchange will connect US 60 in Culloden with I-64 between Hurricane and Milton. Construction is expected to begin within 30 days.
“I congratulate you all on this project,” Gov. Justice said. “I hope and pray we get it done quickly and bring more and more goodness to the area. I spent many, many, many days bird hunting all around here. The people were kind enough to let me hunt when I was at Marshall forever and a day ago. There are great people here. Thank you for having me. Thank you for all you do.”
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Triton Construction Inc. was awarded a contract for $32.34 million to build the new interchange. The new road from US 60 and I-64 will be about two-thirds of a mile long and will link up with the interstate just west of the Putnam/Cabell County line.
The project also includes construction of a new bridge on I-64 over Benedict Road, replacing two existing bridges. The new bridge and ¾ mile of the interstate will be widened to accommodate six lanes of traffic in anticipation of future interstate expansion.
“This is indeed a great day for the Culloden area,” Wristen said. “This is a much, much needed project, one that has been in the works for a long, long time. I remember more than ten years ago hearing comments from around Culloden for this project. Well here we are, once again, we’ve taken a project that languished and we’re ready to break ground and get started. This is what Roads to Prosperity was all about. This is the vision, this was the plan, and this is how we execute it.”
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This project is intended to relieve congestion at the Hurricane exit, create better access to businesses in the Culloden area, and provide additional access to I-64 for local residents.
“Look at how blessed we are in every way,” Gov. Justice said. “Think of the years that have gone by forever and a day. The Culloden deal has been in the process for what feels like 50 million years and we haven’t been able to pull it off. Now, here we are. There’s so much potential right now.”
Traffic signals for the interstate ramps will be added at the intersection of Benedict Road and Virginia Avenue and the intersection of Benedict Road and US 60. Two major slips along I-64 in the area will also be repaired as part of the project.
Funding for the project comes from Gov. Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program.
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