It is our sincere hope that residents of Harrison County will avail themselves of one of the two remaining opportunities to provide their input on the "big picture" of what highways in West Virginia will look like in 2025.

Residents should keep in mind that the Harrison County Transportation Study will be a guide that the state Division of Highways will be using for the next quarter century.

Already, at least one member of the Harrison County Commission, President Beth Taylor, has stated her highest priorities, which are improvements to the safety factor of U.S. 50 in the Bristol area and better access to Shinnston.

Still, the input received from county residents should carry considerable weight with the commission, and we hope there will be enough representation from them in the two remaining meetings to provide for a measurable amount of interest.

Bridgeport Community Development Director Randy Spellman said community input is very important for a wide-ranging plan such as this, and "sometimes some of the best solutions come from the citizens."

Already, there has been considerable controversy about prospects of a four-lane connector route between Harrison County 24 (Meadowbrook Road) and U.S. 19 in and through Shinnston.

Citizens need to know the proposed road routes throughout Harrison County so that if any have problems with what is being planned, they'll be able to voice them and have those voices heard.

Several public comment sessions have taken place since local leaders got their first look at the transportation study in late October.

The importance of the last two meetings has been pointed out by Clarksburg Community and Economic Development Director Mark Abbott, who said they'll be focusing on alternative transportation, including bicycle paths and West Virginia's Rails to Trails program.

Abbott was quoted as saying, "It's important to the city for us to know their long-range plans and how they will marry to the city's plans."

He added, "In the long view, if anyone has ideas to share about transportation in Harrison County over the next 25 years, this is their absolute last chance to do so."

A highway system, putting it practically, is something that, once construction begins, there's no turning back and doing it another way, just because someone has changed his mind.

The meetings are 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30, at the West Milford Community Center and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, at the Harrison County Senior Citizens Center, 500 W. Main St. in downtown Clarksburg.

Robert F. Stealey