I LIVE IN VIRGINIA!
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
West Virginia officials are forcing Virginia to build a destructive highway through Virginia despite the fact that Corridor H isn’t and has never been in any of the local or long-range transportation plans for the state.
Corridor H History
West Virginia’s Corridor H highway project has been in development since the late 1960s as part of the Appalachian Development Highway System. As proposed, Corridor H is a massive almost 150-mile 4-lane highway running from Interstate 79 east through rural West Virginia to the Virginia state border. Officials from West Virginia envision extending this highway project crossing into Virginia and ultimately replacing the current Route 55 to connect to the I-81/I-66 corridor near Strasburg.
Although sections of the highway are built and operational, Corridor H continues to be controversial in West Virginia as residents question the massive cost of the road to taxpayers and the damage it has caused compared to its marginal economic impact. If completed as envisioned by West Virginia legislators, the road will bulldoze through the Virginia state line, into the George Washington National Forest, through the Cedar Creek drainage and create a huge interstate exchange where the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park now lies, while offering almost no benefit to Virginians.
West Virginia officials are pressuring Virginia to build a destructive highway through Virginia despite the fact that Corridor H isn’t and has never been in any of the local or long-range transportation plans for the state. And, Virginia doesn’t have any plans to build its section from the state line to I-81 or I-66.
Corridor H plans from the 90s, the last time a route in Virginia was studied (Michael Baker Inc).
Why Am I Hearing About This Now?
The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) just released a Supplemental Environmental Assessment for the final 7-miles from Wardensville to the WV/VA state line. Now is the time to let West Virginia officials know you don’t want this massive road way crossing over the mountain into Virginia and harming Shenandoah Valley farms and private homes, local churches and community centers, and significantly impacting the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park and the Fisher’s Hill Civil War Battlefield.
If the WVDOH builds this section as proposed, Virginia will have to react. Let your VA elected officials know about this looming project and that it is not okay. Interstate-level highways should be coordinated between states, not forced from one onto another.