If all goes according to plan, U.S. 35 in Putnam and Mason counties will be completely finished in the fall of 2018.
Currently, 14.6 miles remain as a two-lane road after the Buffalo bridge.
A ground breaking ceremony for the drain and grade project was held in October to celebrate the beginning of the end of the project.
The project, which cost around $230 million, according to Division of Transportation spokesman Brent Walker, will finish the last portion of highway.
Walker said the four lane highway has made travel much safer in the two counties.
"A lot of trucks are on that road," Walker said. "On the two lane version, it's been a fairly narrow, dangerous road. The four lane road is definitely going to make it safer."
County Commissioner Joe Haynes agreed, and said safety comes first when it comes to travel on U.S. 35.
"Practically everyone in the county knows somebody who's been impacted by an accident on that road [old U.S. 35]," Haynes said. "Safety is the most important thing. Everything else - any new businesses - is secondary to the safety."
Haynes said he's excited for the remaining portion of the highway to be completed.
"The new road is going to save so many lives," Haynes said. "That's the real benefit."
Walker doesn't expect current traffic to be affected by the construction since the new highway will be built a couple miles west of the current highway, Walker said. The current two lane highway will remain as W.Va. 817.
The Division of Highways announced in June 2015 that Bizzack Construction LLC, based out of Lexington, Kentucky, was selected as the contractor for the project, with a winning bid of $174.5 million.
Reach Laura Haight at
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