The clock hits 5 p.m. It’s been a long day at Marshall University, and you are more than ready to go home.

But when you get in your car, you don’t go home – you sit in traffic. And it’s not just today, it’s every day. And it’s not just at 5 p.m., it’s any time of the day.

Eighteen months into the City of Huntington’s Hal Greer Boulevard Corridor project, students say their commute to and from the university is longer than ever.

Junior Will Meadows said although his commute should only take about seven minutes, this semester, it has taken closer to 30 due to ever changing traffic patterns.

“I have to leave earlier, and sometimes I still end up late to classes or events I’m supposed to be at,” Meadows said.

Meadows said he particularly struggles to get home during the early hours of the evening – rush hour. 

Similarly, junior Rhylee Turturice said what was initially a three-minute commute from her apartment has turned into a 15-minute commute. 

Turturice said the traffic is backed up regardless of the time of day she is driving.

“It’s causing a lot of issues,” she said. “I wish that there wasn’t construction, but it’s everywhere, and you can’t escape it.”

Although the roadway’s construction hasn’t made him feel unsafe as a driver, Meadows said he has felt primarily concerned for ambulances trying to get to Cabell Huntington Hospital, just blocks away from campus.

“I’ve had many experiences of seeing ambulances stuck, and people not being able to move,” he said. 

Although the City of Huntington has not made a public statement regarding the ambulances, the Huntington Police Department has advised drivers to avoid 16th Street on days of high traffic volume.

A social media post from the City of Huntington on Aug. 28 reads, “Due to construction on Hal Greer Boulevard, fans driving to the game are advised to use alternate routes. Fans driving to the game from Interstate 64 should use the 17th Street West or 29th Street exits.”

The project began in March 2023 as a partnership between the City of Huntington, the West Virginia Department of Transportation’s Division of Highways and KYOVA Interstate Planning Commission to “improve connectivity and safety for all modes of transportation.”

A few of the project’s safety features include protected bike lanes, mid-block crosswalks and medians. 

Senior Michael Croff said he appreciates the roadway’s additions because they have made him feel safer when walking to class.

“I walk to the VAC in Pullman, and Hal Greer is more comfortable of a crossing than say third or 20th by the Rec,” Croff said.

Additionally, Turturice said she has benefited from the new parking spots alongside the protected bike lane near Smith Music Hall. 

Meadows, however, said he does not like what the safety features have done to the rest of the road.

“I think that the safety features are a great idea in theory,” Meadows said, “but I think the execution of placement isn’t good.”

As of July 2024, the City of Huntington’s website said the project is “on track to be completed” this fall. The project’s initial timeline predicts an October completion date. The completed project will include the return of the street’s original four-lane layout.

Baylee Parsons can be contacted at [email protected].