West Virginia Parkways Authority, WVDOT, emergency responders team up to reopen West Virginia Turnpike following fatal tractor-trailer wreck

A fatal tractor-trailer wreck that shut down northbound lanes of the West Virginia Turnpike for four hours was cleared up relatively quickly due to cooperation between the West Virginia Parkways Authority, local emergency services and police, and the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT).

Three tractor-trailers crashed just before 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at mile marker 34, completely shutting down northbound traffic on the Turnpike. Jeff Miller, executive director of the Parkways Authority that oversees operations on the Turnpike, said Turnpike crews and emergency response crews responded within minutes.

Knowing that some traffic would use the Ghent Turnpike exit (Exit 28) to avoid the wreck, and that schools would soon be getting out for the day, Miller immediately contacted the WVDOT to halt construction work on US 19 in the area to allow traffic to move as freely as possible through the Beckley Z-Way work zone. Miller said the Parkways Authority decided not to officially detour traffic onto the Ghent exit for fear of making traffic delays worse.

The Parkways Authority also positioned Courtesy Patrol units at the bottom of the Exit 28 northbound off- ramp to prevent tractor-trailer traffic from taking this route.

The Turnpike reopened to traffic at 5:46 p.m.

"I greatly appreciate Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston and the West Virginia Division of Highways for halting work on US 19 for the day to try and help traffic flow as smoothly as possible through Shady Spring into Beaver," Miller said. "It took a lot of teamwork, and it was a long, stressful day. Ultimately, we were able to reopen the roadway after a horrific event in roughly four hours.

"It was a very hard day and extremely sad circumstances on the West Virginia Turnpike," Miller said. "My heart goes out to the family of a lost loved one."​

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