ELKINS, W.Va. — As progress continues on the Corridor-H Highway project, 2024 looms as a very big year in the road’s full development.
The state Division of Highways updated the Corridor H Authority this week on the projections for work in the coming months. The authority held its annual meeting Monday.
The current stretch of highway under construction between Kerens and Parsons is expected to be completed, tentatively, sometime in 2024. A large bridge on the stretch and the most recently awarded a contract in that same area are also due to be completed by the end of 2024 or early 2025. Those projects would complete the highway from I-79 at Weston to Parsons, W.Va.
Meanwhile, design work continues on the two final stretches of the highway between Parsons and Davis and between Wardensville and the Virginia border. DOH officials indicated Governor Jim Justice has made it a priority to have those two sections at least under contract, if not under construction, by the end of 2024.
“Work is continuing on those. Public meetings and informational meetings are being held in those various communities as they look to finalize design,” said Corridor H Authority Chairman Robbie Morris.
The Parsons to Davis stretch of the roadway is considered one of the most environmentally sensitive and historically significant parts of the entire construction project. According to Morris, designers are keenly aware of the issues involved and are working carefully to make the right selections for route and design.
“West Virginia DOH has been taking their time and doing absolutely everything they can to get a route that makes sense from a lot of different standpoints,” he explained.
The work on the Parsons to Davis stretch will include enhancements to existing infrastructure like hiking and biking trails in the region. Careful planning has also gone into insuring popular viewsheds, like Lindy Point at Blackwaters Falls State Park, are not impacted by the new roadway and bridges.
“There are a lot of different considerations to take in and that’s why the design has taken so long and continues to take a while so they can take everything into consideration,” Morris added.
The purpose of Corridor H will be to speed the trip from I-79 to I-81 in Virginia. Although we are many years away from the completion, the Kerens to Parsons section is already being included in GPS updates. Morris said that will increase traffic exponentially as navigation devices make Corridor H the fastest route.
“GPS always sets how long it takes you to get somewhere based on travelling the speed limit. Most of us travel over that a little, so even with the construction it can already be quicker to take Corridor H than other routes,” he said. “Kerens to Parsons is already online and with the GPS update, the traffic is going to increase exponentially,”