Letter to the Editor: Kuhl instrumental in solving problem
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I moved to Southside Parkersburg about three years ago and soon noticed a frequent backup of the traffic on Pike Street/WV14 from the traffic light at Gihon Road/Rayon Drive intersection that would often extend about a mile to the Patriot Plaza Shopping Center. This was a recurrent problem and I felt sure the local police department or the city's traffic division would address it. After three years, it was apparent the problem was not being addressed.
Around the first week in May of this year I contacted Sharon Kuhl, Parkersburg City Council member for this area, and spoke to her about it. Mrs. Kuhl was very concerned about the problem and promised to look into it. She promptly contacted the Department of Highways (DOH) agency in Parkersburg that controlled the lights on Pike St/WV14 about it. Sharon Kuhl then called me back and let me know what she had done and that the DOH assured her they would go to the area and observe the situation and find a solution. Sharon Kuhl further assured me that she would follow up and monitor the situation herself to ensure the problem was solved. She also contacted me on two more occasions to let me know what was being done and gave an approximate time when it would be corrected.
Within a period of two or three weeks, traffic began to flow smoothly and the backup was eliminated! After years of this back up, which I'm sure consumed many hours of waiting in traffic and consumption of thousands of gallons of gasoline, it was solved! The solution was a matter of timing of the traffic lights and synchronization.
I am very impressed with Parkersburg City Council Member Sharon Kuhl for her immediate response to the problem, contacting the agency responsible for the traffic lights and coordinating a solution for the back up problem. She is certainly the type of public servant who is a tribute to the City of Parkersburg.
John D. Gainer
Parkersburg