West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) heavy maintenance crews are scheduled to be on site Thursday, Aug. 25, 2022, pending weather and other conditions, to begin pile wall work on a section of Martins Branch Road between Sissonville and Cross Lanes in Kanawha County.

A tractor trailer recently lost its trailer in a sharp turn on the road, ripping out guardrail and compromising the road shoulder. Martins Branch Road is prominently marked as not suitable for the passage of large trucks, and drivers are strongly urged to follow these guidelines. 

“While we can’t tell truck drivers that they can’t use the road, those yellow caution signs are there for a reason,” said WVDOH District 1 Manager Arlie Matney. “We are asking drivers to take note of those signs and use caution in the area. Slow down a little in that turn, it's not worth the risk.”

Matney said cars and school buses negotiate the turn with ease, but tractor trailers can easily get their trailers too far out onto the shoulder, tearing out the guardrail and possibly even going over the hill.  Yellow caution signs are used in situations such as this, to convey to drivers who may not be familiar with a road important information specific to driving in the area.