COMMENT ON THE SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
The West Virginia Division of Highways has released a Supplemental Environmental Assessment for the Wardensville-to-Virginia section of Corridor H—a major four-lane highway project that will have lasting impacts on our forests, waterways, and small-town communities. This is your opportunity to speak up and ensure that decision-makers understand the full scope of public concern.
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Use the link below to review the official materials and submit your comment today. Let’s work together to protect what makes this region so special—for ourselves and future generations.
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The comment period ends on June 1, 2025.
The Proposed Route
The West Virginia Division of Highways' currently proposed route will
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Completely bypass the Town of Wardensville, crippling local business, and dead-end Route 55;
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Pollute Wardensville's water supply by blasting near a Wellhead Protection Area and in a fractured rock aquafer, meaning that the groundwater is very sensitive to changes in surface water.
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Go through dozens of private homes, the George Washington National Forest, two Tier-3, high-quality streams, and will split the Tuscarora Trail, part of the Great Eastern Trail, in half;
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​Merge onto the two-lane Route 55 on the top of a mountain, creating an unsafe situation in order to pressure Virginia, which has consistently refused to build Corridor H.
Save Wardensville's Alternative
Instead of a cost-inefficient, destructive highway, simple safety improvements to Route 55 will:
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Continue to allow traffic through Wardensville's downtown, ensuring businesses' survival;
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Go around the Wellhead Protection Area and not require as much heavy construction, preserving the Town's water supply.
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Be built on an existing road, meaning that nobody's home is taken, will not go through the George Washington National Forest, will preserve the Tuscarora Trail, and avoid further damage to streams.
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​Connect to the two-lane Route 55, respecting Virginia's position and making the road safer without a political battle.
Protect Our Town, Our Water, and Our National Forest from Corridor H
Wardensville is a small but thriving town in Hardy County, West Virginia. Locals have worked hard to breathe new life into the community. With homegrown businesses, a revitalized Main Street, and endless opportunities for outdoor recreation in nearby National Forests.
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The West Virginia Division of Highways has plans to extend Corridor H seven miles through Wardensville to the Virginia state line, crossing the George Washington National Forest and paving over family farms. Virginia has not committed to building its part of the massive four-lane highway, and there’s no updated, comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement for this stretch.
Our Biggest Concerns
Local Economy at Risk
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Wardensville is experiencing a genuine comeback, fueled by local entrepreneurs and small businesses that fit the town’s character. A large four-lane highway often brings chain gas stations, fast food, and sprawl, overshadowing the unique vibe we’ve spent years cultivating.
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If the highway bypasses the community, it could suck vital visitor traffic away from Main Street, leaving shops and cafes out in the cold.
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Threats to Our Water & Wildlife
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The route slices through the Wellhead Protection Area that supplies drinking water to Wardensville’s 267 residents—and many who live just outside town. It also crosses Waites Run and Trout Run, two Tier 3, high-quality streams vital for native brook trout and protected under the Clean Water Act.
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Sinkholes, springs, and caves cover the limestone terrain, making it extra sensitive to construction. Once this aquifer is polluted or disrupted, the damage could be permanent.
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Outdated Environmental Reviews
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The last full Environmental Impact Statement for this segment was done in the mid-1990s. A lot has changed since then—the economy has grown around small-scale, sustainable tourism, and new threatened or endangered species have been identified in the area.​
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A "Road to Nowhere"
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Corridor H was originally pitched as connecting West Virginia to I-66 in Virginia, but Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board has no plans to finish the highway. Shenandoah County even reaffirmed its opposition in a 2022 letter to the Federal Highway Administration.
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Without Virginia’s cooperation, we’re basically building a road that dumps traffic into nowhere, yet leaves locals to deal with the fallout—environmental or otherwise.
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