WVDOH awards contract to rebuild part of Interstate 79

The West Virginia Division of Highways awarded over $15.6 million to Mountaineer Contractors Inc. to completely rebuild a section of Interstate 79, part of 26 construction contracts totaling millions across the state.

News Release
June 1, 2025

A project to rebuild Interstate 79 from the ground up between the Roanoke exit and Jane Lew Road is among 26 construction projects awarded by the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) on Thursday, May 29, 2025. The awards were from a bid letting conducted Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

Mountaineer Contractors Inc. was awarded a contract for $15,603,905 to pulverize the existing pavement on the section of I-79 to create a new road base, part of the process of rebuilding the road from the ground up.

The work is necessary because the original concrete slabs the interstates are built on are shifting and cracking, and have lived out their lives. Continuing to pave over the existing slabs will cause further problems in the long run.

“It’s kind of the ultimate fix,” said WVDOH State Highway Engineer Jake Bumgarner, P.E.

Contracts awarded were:

Phoenix Excavating LLC was the low bidder on a slide repair project on Buffalo Creek Road, with a bid of $190,250. (Lincoln County)
Thaxton Construction Company Inc. was the low bidder on a slide repair project on Davis Branch Road, with a bid of $195,890. (Wayne County)
Thaxton Construction Company Inc. was also the low bidder on a slide repair project on Harless Fork Road, with a bid of $211,394.50. (Lincoln County)
Alan Stone Company Inc. was the low bidder on a slide repair project on Big Branch Road, with a bid of $267,870.50. (Wayne County)
Mountaineer Contractors Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on US 50 from Toll Gate to Greenwood, with a bid of $2,788,289.28. (Doddridge and Ritchie counties)
West Virginia Paving Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on WV 20 from Diana to Rock Cave Road, with a bid of $1,118,524.97. (Webster County)
Jim Construction Inc. was the low bidder on a rehabilitation project on the South Ruffner Slab Bridge, with a bid of $199,324.17. (Kanawha County)
Triton Construction Inc. was the low bidder on a pipe boring project on US 60, with a bid of $1,378,700. (Cabell County)
Phoenix Excavating LLC was the low bidder on a slide repair project on East Mud River Road, with a bid of $411,383.50. (Cabell County)
Elite Contractors Inc. was the low bidder a repair, cleaning, and painting job on the Middle Bridge, with a bid of $1,364,235. (Wayne County)
BTI Contracting Inc. was the low bidder on a paving project on WV 37 from Joels Branch to Echo, with a bid of $1,684,040.80. (Wayne County)
Specialty Groups Inc. was the low bidder on a rehabilitation project on the Shelton Topping Bridge, with a bid of $496,728.42. (Lincoln County)
Truesdell Corporation was the low bidder on a project to put down high friction surface treatments on sections of US 50, WV 46, and WV 28, with a bid of $389,389. (Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Mineral, and Morgan counties)
R.K. Construction Inc. was the low bidder on a project to replace the Neola Bridge, with a bid of $2,107,075.99. (Greenbrier County)
Ohio-West Virginia Excavating Company was the low bidder on a piling wall project on the Seneca Trail, with a bid of $425,468. (Tucker County)
Rock Forge Bridge Company LLC was the low bidder on a piling wall project on Old Mill Road, with a bid of $760,585. (Lewis County)
Phoenix Excavating LLC was the low bidder on a piling wall project on Sycamore Road, with a bid of $829,083. (Harrison County)
Swank Construction Company LLC was the low bidder on a rehabilitation project on the Interstate 68 Overpass Bridge over US 119, with a bid of $10,283,238.86. (Monongalia County)
Oglesby Construction Inc. was the low bidder on a project to paint striping on West Virginia interstates, with a bid of $3,333,333.33. (Statewide)
R.K. Construction Inc. was the low bidder on a project to replace the Center Street Bridge, with a bid of $1,670,777.06. (Harrison County)
Rock Forge Bridge Company LLC was the low bidder on a piling wall project on River Road, with a bid of $189,910.20. (Pocahontas County)
Oglesby Construction Inc. was the low bidder on a project to paint striping on the Appalachian corridors, with a bid of $3,989,597. (Statewide)
Ohio-West Virginia Excavating Company was the low bidder on a project to replace the Mine Bridge, with a bid of $5,841,157.90. (Ohio County)
Carl Belt Inc. was the low bidder on a project to replace the Charles Milar Bridge, with a bid of $2,599,025.84. (Mineral County)
Merlo Inc. was the low bidder on a project to replace the Washington Avenue Bridge, with a bid of $5,324,000. (Ohio County)
R.K. Construction Inc. was the low bidder on a rehabilitation project on the Hurricane City Park Bridge, with a bid of $639,108.29. (Putnam County)

Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer’s Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer’s Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources, and whether sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed, and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.

When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.com and handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.