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Monongalia County reviews winter road response and hospital access after multi‑agency meeting

Monongalia County Commission · February 4, 2026

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Summary

County officials summarized a meeting led by regional transportation staff that proposed changes including a dedicated snowplow corridor to hospitals, shift-time coordination with hospitals and improved inter-agency communications to keep key ramps on routes 68 and 79 clear during storms.

County officials on Feb. 4 recapped a regional meeting organized by Earl Gaskins, transportation district manager for Region 4, aimed at improving road conditions and ensuring hospital access during winter storms.

An unnamed county official summarized participants and proposals, saying officials heard concerns about snow removal on ramps along routes 68 and 79 and discussed immediate operational fixes. The proposals highlighted by participants include assigning a designated snowplow to keep the corridor between I‑68 and I‑79 that serves hospital facilities open, coordinating hospital shift times to reduce morning access pressure (one suggestion was moving shift changes from 06:00 to 08:00), providing radios to Department of Highways (DOH) trucks to improve real-time coordination with county crews, EMS and fire departments, and installing GPS trackers on DOH trucks to improve fleet coordination.

The recap named several meeting participants, including Earl Gaskins (transportation district manager, Region 4), Damien Davis (director of engineering and public works), Dave Goldberg, Mike Grace, Jimmy Smith and Dan Dashenka of EMS. The county official said hospitals that participated responded positively to the ideas and that officials will develop a regional plan.

"I want to thank, again, Mr. Gaskins and Joe Purnell," the county official said, noting improved communication and cooperation between the county and state agencies.

Officials said they plan to meet again in four to six months to refine the plan and implement agreed operational changes. The discussion focused on operational coordination and did not record any formal votes or binding policy changes at the Feb. 4 meeting.