Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV

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November 6, 2009

McDowell County: New road paving progress

By CHARLES OWENS

WELCH — Construction could begin by the year’s end on a new two-lane access road to the Indian Ridge Industrial Park in McDowell County.

The new road was advertised for construction last month, and bids are due back on Nov. 17, Susan Watkins, a communications manager for the West Virginia Division of Highways, said.

Watkins said the road will be open to the public, and will provide access in and out of the industrial park from Route 16 in Welch. It will also serve the new $249 million federal prison currently under construction at the industrial park.

Watkins said construction on the new two-lane access road could begin by December with weather permitting.

“It will be completed before the prison is opened,” Watkins said. “It would be there to service the park, and there at Indian Ridge, and of course the prison is there. So you could use it to access the prison area, or any business in the industrial park area.”

The new road will start at Route 16, and extend to the western end of the industrial park.

At some point in the future, an interchange of the King Coal Highway and the Coalfields Expressway also will be constructed near the federal prison site. However, no federal dollars have been awarded for the interchange project at this point.

Watkins said construction crews are currently using an old mining road to access the federal prison construction site.

When it is opened next year, the new Federal Correctional Institution McDowell facility will employ between 320 to 340 people. About 11 FCI McDowell employees have already been hired to assist in coordinating the opening of the facility. A new warden also has already been selected for the facility.

— Contact

Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com

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