Post by L Roebuck on Sept 5, 2007 7:37:43 GMT -5
Bug delays W.Va. highway construction
By DAVE McMILLION charlestown@herald-mail.com
MARTINSBURG, W.VA.
An eyeless, white bug stood in the way of progress.
Preliminary work on the last section of the new, four-lane W.Va. 9 being built between Martinsburg and Charles Town, W.Va., was delayed after someone found a federally listed threatened crustacean in an abandoned well in Leetown, W.Va., officials said.
But a state Division of Highways official said Tuesday that he was told by a representative of the federal government that the discovery posed no problem, and work on the section of highway will continue.
Someone found a Madison Cave isopod in the well in Leetown, according to Bill Shanklin, area engineer for the Division of Highways, and Norse Angus, a transportation analyst manager for the Division of Highways.
It was not clear who found the isopod, although it would have been someone with expertise on the issue, Angus said.
The Madison Cave isopod is an eyeless, unpigmented crustacean that exists in deep groundwater or subterranean lakes, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is not known how the species reproduces, and its feeding habits also are a mystery, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
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By DAVE McMILLION charlestown@herald-mail.com
MARTINSBURG, W.VA.
An eyeless, white bug stood in the way of progress.
Preliminary work on the last section of the new, four-lane W.Va. 9 being built between Martinsburg and Charles Town, W.Va., was delayed after someone found a federally listed threatened crustacean in an abandoned well in Leetown, W.Va., officials said.
But a state Division of Highways official said Tuesday that he was told by a representative of the federal government that the discovery posed no problem, and work on the section of highway will continue.
Someone found a Madison Cave isopod in the well in Leetown, according to Bill Shanklin, area engineer for the Division of Highways, and Norse Angus, a transportation analyst manager for the Division of Highways.
It was not clear who found the isopod, although it would have been someone with expertise on the issue, Angus said.
The Madison Cave isopod is an eyeless, unpigmented crustacean that exists in deep groundwater or subterranean lakes, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is not known how the species reproduces, and its feeding habits also are a mystery, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said.
Full Article