New Keyser Bridge Traffic Patterns

If your coming from the Fountain area on Rt 46 and want to go North on US 220, then your going to see some major changes in the traffic patterns. The blue lines are where the new roads and bridge will be.

You will no longer be able to turn onto the bridge from Center Street. So you will have to go all the way to Piedmont St and then make a right at the light to access the new bridge. You will also not be able to just drive to the end of Armstrong street and make a left crossing traffic to go to Cumberland. That will now be a one way off ramp for the new bridge. If you stay on Armstrong St. to the end, then it will bring you to Piedmont Street across from Orchard Street. There will be major changes in traffic patterns.
On the McCool side of the river you will no longer be able to turn left to go to Westernport from Keyser. You will now have to turn right and circle under the new bridge to go to Westernport.

Looks like we are going to have major changes in the traffic patterns. Many on the West Virginia side may not be for the best. Davis Street is going to become much more busy than it already is. Looks like we will need a new traffic light at Orchard and Piedmont to handle all the truck traffic that will be routed that way.

A Bridge for Evacuation

Prior to the 1950's if there was a train derailment on the tracks through Keyser there was a way for those on the north side of the tracks to escape. The could simply drive across the bridge into Maryland. For the past 50 years that has not been an option. When Memorial Bridge was completed at set of stairs were added for evacuation in an emergency. That is fine if you are able bodied, but not if you have health issues. A question ask is will the new bridge even have a set of stairs for evacuation of the north end? There is another escape route, the Porter St tunnel, but if the water is high it will be blocked as well.

While nothing has happened for the past 50 years it does not mean that nothing can happen. Consider trains hall many types of hazardous materials; Explosives, Chlorine Gas, Fuel and things we many not even want to think about, then it would be very easy for a train to derail and block both crossings which are only about 350 feet apart. What if the derailment causes a fire on the north end? Most modern fire and rescue equipment can't fit through the Porter Street tunnel. Many homes could be lost while trying to build an emergency rail crossing in a different location.

The intent of this story is not to be alarmist or predict catastrophe, but to make a simple suggestion. The city could take an opportunity to look in to building a small bridge to McCoole at the end of Main Street where the original US 220 bridge once stood. It may not be something that is economically feasible, but if we don't check we will never know. Perhaps there is money available from Homeland Security to provide and escape route. Perhaps not, but if we never ask the question, then we will never know. Maybe we should just ask to see if it is something that is feasible to add to our community.