Gov. Morrisey, Kanawha delegate call for roads review after numerous vehicles fall off interstate

Gov. Patrick Morrisey and a Kanawha County delegate are each calling for a close review of recent crashes at an interstate spot in Charleston after multiple vehicles recently fell off of the road or dangled off of the edge.

The latest accident occurred Friday night, when four young men died after their vehicle left the roadway on Interstate 77 near the Interstate 64 split. Their vehicle tumbled off the interstate into the Martin Marietta Charleston Yard below, according to Charleston police.  

The fatal incident occurred just days after two people were injured from a tractor trailer going off the interstate in the same area. There was an additional accident in the area in the last week.

On Monday, Morrisey said he’d directed the West Virginia Division of Highways to work with law enforcement and highway safety officials to examine the circumstances surrounding each of these crashes. 

“My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in Friday night’s tragic crash in Charleston, as well as to those who have been injured in other recent crashes along our interstate system,” Morrisey said in a statement to WSAZ.

“While we should not draw conclusions about their causes before those investigations are complete, we need to understand what happened in each instance and determine whether there are additional steps we can take to improve safety,” the governor said.

Del. Dana Ferrell, R-Kanawha, has called for a closer look at the problematic interstate area as well as other Charleston interstate spots where roadway barriers may not be sufficient.

Ferrell’s daughter and her boyfriend were involved in an auto accident last week that left their vehicle hanging over the barrier of the Fort Hill Bridge. Their vehicle was bumped by another driver.

“This is an interstate system that was designed in the 1960s, probably, then constructed in the ’70s. There’s been a fourfold increase in semi-truck traffic since then, and a 140-some percent increase in SUVs and pickups traveling,” Ferrell said. “These barriers were just not designed to properly retain that impact, they’re more for sedans… They’re 32-inch barriers.”

Ferrell plans to ask the West Virginia Division of Highways about adding additional guardrails.

“​​I think you have to take an offensive and a defensive approach to this. You go on offense by putting the flashing lights up, like you do on some of the curves … and you put the rumble strips to you know get people’s attention if they’re on their phones,” Ferrell said. “The defensive side comes down to the barriers.”

Ferrell said he also plans to ask WVDOT about the potential of working with federal authorities to create a bypass system in Kanawha County for semi-trucks. 

The West Virginia Division of Highways was already working to install high friction surface treatment on several of the elevated portions of the interstate prior to the recent crashes.

“We anticipate having those treatments installed later this fall. We are closely coordinating with the Charleston Police Department to monitor crashes in this area and will determine additional countermeasures that may be implemented as they complete their crash investigations,” State Transportation Secretary Stephen Todd Rumbaugh said in a statement.