This information was last updated in 2003 and 2004. Please check back as this information will be updated soon.

1. What is the origin of the Martinsburg Bypass and will it be needed once Route 9 is completed?
   This project developed out of the public meetings for the West Virginia Route 9 section of Charles Town to Martinsburg. Residents of Martinsburg expressed concerns at the meetings that all of the traffic would become bottlenecked at the South Martinsburg Exit and at the mall. Since seventy percent of the traffic is going north on I-81, the bottleneck can be relieved with a northeastern bypass. The bypass was also recognized as a much-needed project in the 1997 Hagerstown Eastern Panhandle Long Range Transportation Plan.
2. Do the accident rates in this area of Martinsburg warrant a bypass?
   The accident rate for the project segment of West Virginia Route 9 is well above the statewide average for similar routes.
3. Why can't the Division of Highways upgrade existing roads and straighten out curves on Grapevine Road and Eagle School Road, instead of building a four-lane bypass?
   The traffic projections require a four-lane road. Upgrading the existing two lane roads will not solve current and future traffic problems.
4. What is the timetable for the Martinsburg Bypass?
   The Division of Highways has selected a design consultant to begin the design of the project once the environmental document has been approved by the Federal Highway Administration. It will take approximately 18 months to complete the design and acquire the necessary right-of-way for the project. Once funding is available and construction begins, the Bypass should be completed within two years.
5. What is the best way for the public to get involved in the project?
   The Division of Highways is encouraging local residents to become involved in the Martinsburg Bypass as well as all highway projects in the area. As a matter of fact, the Martinsburg Bypass is a product of public involvement. At a public meeting on West Virginia Route 9, residents asked WVDOH to consider a bypass when planning Route 9. The traffic and safety figures warrant it and a local transportation study recognized it as a need, so the project came to fruition.
   
   We will be scheduling additional public meetings on the Bypass once the environmental document is approved by the Federal Highway Administration. We anticipate these meetings to be sometime this summer. The public meetings will allow residents to communicate one on one with DOH representatives. Anyone interested will have a chance to comment on the study and see any revisions that have been made.
   
   Also, the Division of Highways is continually looking for new, innovative ways to receive input from the public. We have developed a web site specifically tailored to the Route 9 project, including a section on the Martinsburg Bypass. As the project develops, new information will be posted on the site at www.wvroute9.com.
6. What is the status of the alignment choice for the Martinsburg Bypass?
   A version combining alignments B and C has been chosen as the preferred alignment. However, two additional alignments are also being studied, including the Raleigh St. Extension. If you have access to the Internet, log on to the web site at www.wvroute9.com to see a map of the preferred alignment. If not, call us at the Division of Highways at (304) 558-2830 and we will mail you a map.
7. When Route 9 is completed from Jefferson County to I-81 and with the completion of Exit 14, will there be alternatives to the northern part of Berkeley County?
   The Division of Highways is conducting a study from I-81 at Exit 16 to Berkeley Springs (US 522) to upgrade West Virginia Route 9 to four lanes.
8. Who can we contact at the Division of Highways to answer our questions on the Martinsburg Bypass?
   Division of Highway Engineer James Sloan can be reached at (304) 558-2830 and can answer any questions about the Bypass. The public is also encouraged to e-mail questions about the Martinsburg Bypass by logging on to the web site at www.wvroute9.com.

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