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More I-70 lane closures ahead for mining

By Shelley Hanson for The Observer-Reporter newsroom@observer-Reporter.Com 3 min read
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WHEELING – Motorists are being told to slow down and expect delays during Interstate 70 lane closures slated to begin Wednesday between the Pennsylvania and West Virginia state line and last through the beginning of December.

According to the West Virginia Division of Highways, the closures are necessary due to underground longwall coal mining happening in the area.

The lane closures will begin about 7 a.m. Wednesday and last through Dec. 9. The closures will occur in both eastbound and westbound lanes at milepost 11.95. Inclement weather could change the project’s schedule.

For the past few years, Tunnel Ridge LLC has been mining a seam of coal that runs under I-70 near the state line.

To watch for and take care of any potential damage to the road from mine subsidence, lane closures are necessary to allow for the repairs, with the goal of keeping motorists safe.

The speed limit is anticipated to be reduced to 45 miles per hour in the area. Motorists are being advised to watch for stopped traffic due to the lane closures.

That stretch of highway in Ohio County already is known for experiencing serious and sometimes fatal accidents even without orange barrels lining the roadways. The accidents often backup traffic for several miles, delaying motorists’ commutes sometimes for several hours as well.

“We’re going to have extra patrols up there and we will have someone there 24 hours a day to work with the construction company,” said Ohio County Sheriff Tom Howard, adding the company will be on standby to do any paving work due to possible mining subsidence.

Howard noted this latest round of coal mining under I-70 will be the last to occur on the West Virginia side of the highway. He noted there still is some planned for Pennsylvania.

“The big thing is that we want everyone to be safe. We’ve had fatalities up there on the highway during regular times as well,” he said.

Howard said in anticipation of traffic, motorists should give themselves an extra 30 minutes to an hour of additional time to reach their destination.

“People need to slow down and expect sudden stops,” he added.

He said motorists may want to consider taking an alternate route, but added there is also some work occurring on the National Road.

The seam of coal being mined has been a fruitful one for Alliance Resource Partners, Tunnel Ridge’s parent company. According to Alliance, Tunnel Ridge produced 8.3 million tons of coal in 2022 from the Wheeling area.

“Tunnel Ridge, LLC operates the Tunnel Ridge Mine, located near Wheeling. Tunnel Ridge utilizes the longwall mining technique to produce medium/high-sulfur coal,” according to the company’s website.

“The Tunnel Ridge preparation plant has a throughput capacity of 2,000 tons of raw coal per hour.”

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