WVDOH resumes open houses meetings in District 5 in the eastern panhandle

​

The open house was open to state and local officials, members of the public and local media to discuss the WVDOH's activities in the region, get updates on projects, and learn about future plans.​

"Since January 1, 2024, we have received and responded to 1,553 citizen concerns, also called SWAT," said District 5 Engineer Lee Thorne, P.E. "When we get a concern, we of course go look at it. If it's a safety issue, we try to take care of it immediately. SWAT stands for Safety With Action Today. Sometimes the response is, 'Can this be covered under our core plan?'"

The district is using its core maintenance plan to complete projects in the area weekly, monthly, and yearly, consisting of five general operations: patching, mowing, ditching/pipe replacement, stone stabilization, and SRIC (snow removal and ice control). District 5 won three out of five state awards for its core maintenance.

"Number 1, we had the best core maintenance statewide; the second thing was we had the best maintained equipment statewide, and the third thing was our environmentally friendly compliance was the best in the state," said Chad Boram, P.E., District 5 Bridge Engineer.

Currently the district Is working on gearing up for its Snow Removal and Ice Control season quickly coming up. They have gathered 313,977 gallons of Liquid Salt Application, 25,848 gallons of applied snow removal and ice control materials - salt and anti-skid materials.

The annual budget plan for District 5 in 2024 was $13.1million.

The next open house is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday, November 12, 2024, at District 4 headquarters in Clarksburg.