POINT PLEASANT — The long-awaited repaving of W.Va. 62 through Point Pleasant has a contractor and a completion date of Oct. 31.

The project was awarded to West Virginia Paving on Aug. 30 which had the low bid of $796,108.05 - a price which was over 30 percent above the engineer’s estimate. After discussions, the project overage was justified by the West Virginia Division of Highways and the project is slated to move forward.

According to Lori Jarvis, WVDOH District 1 coordinator, work could begin as early as late next week but that is a tentative date. Though the completion date as Oct. 31, the project could be finished sooner depending on the start date, the weather, etc.

The paving project is 2.21 miles in length and will start roughly at the traffic light at Third and Viand Streets and end near the traffic light at the intersection of Jackson Ave. and Sandhill Rd. This means nearly all of W.Va. 62 through Point Pleasant will get a much needed facelift.

As previously reported, for months, city officials in Point Pleasant have been hearing constant complaints about the condition of W.Va. 62 - the main road through Mason County’s biggest town. However, what many don’t realize is the road is a state route and therefore falls under state jurisdiction to fix and maintain. This means all the city officials could do was basically ask (and ask, and ask) to have the roadway resurfaced.

In addition, this spring, the Mason County Commission sent a letter of support for the road’s repaving to WVDOH, citing the fact that W.Va. 62 runs through the county seat and is one of the county’s most heavily traveled roads with the exception of U.S. 35, as reasons for its repaving.

Back in May, the engineer’s estimate for the project was reported to be around $700,000 and the project was originally slated to happen in August.