Don't Bypass Our Concerns
The West Virginia Division of Highways has released a Supplemental Environmental Assessment for the Wardensville to Virginia section of Corridor H—a major five-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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Corridor H needs to acquire one more permit until it can begin construction: a Special Use Permit (SUP). which allows the highway's seizure of more than 300 acres of George Washington National Forest (GWNF) land. This process is estimated to begin in the Spring, and may have a public comment period. Reach out to the Forest Service and demand a public comment period for this irreversible land grab!​
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You can find contact information for the GWNF by CLICKING HERE.
WVDOT's Proposed Route
Click the image above to check out WVDOT's blueprints for their proposal of Corridor H.
The West Virginia Division of Highways' currently proposed route will:
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Completely bypass the Town of Wardensville, crippling local business, dead-end Route 55, increasing travel time for those who they claim to be helping, and add an exit on Waites Run, worsening traffic.
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Potentially pollute Wardensville's water supply and private wells by blasting near a Wellhead Protection Area in a fractured rock aquifer, meaning that 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, preventing potential water pollution.
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Be built on an existing road, meaning that nobody's home is taken, the George Washington National Forest will be preserved, the Tuscarora Trail untouched, and our streams' quality assured.
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​Connect to the two-lane Route 55, respecting Virginia's position and making the road safer without a political battle.
Designed by ABRA. Click on the picture above to see it in more detail.
Taken from the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance (ABRA) website. Click here to see more.
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, Wardensville's economy is on the ascent.
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But, the West Virginia Division of Highways plans to bypass Wardensville with a seven miles section of Corridor H, crossing the George Washington National Forest and paving over family farms. Virginia has not committed to building its part of the massive five-lane highway, and there’s no updated, comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement for this stretch.
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With the lowest estimates of this section's cost being around half a billion dollars, in a state that's already massively indebted, without Virginia's coordination or Wardensville's approval, why is this section being built?