The Inter-Mountain photo by Tim MacVean Gov. Jim Justice, left, is greeted by Andy Rhodes, area manager for Kokosing Construction Company, Inc., of Westerville, Ohio, during a visit to the Kerens sight of Corridor H construction Thursday morning.

The Inter-Mountain photo by Tim MacVean
Gov. Jim Justice, left, is greeted by Andy Rhodes, area manager for Kokosing Construction Company, Inc., of Westerville, Ohio, during a visit to the Kerens sight of Corridor H construction Thursday morning.

KERENS — Gov. Jim Justice visited the Kerens construction sight of Corridor H Thursday morning and said he believes the project to be the most important in the state.

“I’ve said this over and over and over, there is no road project within our state that has the economic impact or is more important than Corridor H. Nothing. Nothing,” Justice said during his visit. “Truly, what this can bring to West Virginia is unbelievable. It really is. All of you be safe in what you do and know you are appreciated. Work hard and work fast.”

He added he believes the corridor will stimulate the local economy but also increase tourism due to abundant mountainscapes.

“Not only is this project going to be incredible for the state’s economic development, it is going to be beautiful driving through those mountains,” Justice said.

Andy Rhodes, area manager for Kokosing Construction Company, Inc., of Westerville, Ohio, said the project is roughly 30 percent complete.

He added the challenges work crews have faced is the amount of rain the area has received, noting to date more rain has fallen this year than the normal yearly average.

“(We have) roughly 65 employees right now and that will continue to climb,” Rhodes said. “When we move onto the double shift we will be close to 220 at peak.”

The $209 million design-build project will include the design, grade and drain of U.S. 48 (Corridor H) and the U.S. 219 Connector for approximately 7.5 miles and 0.9 miles respectively, along with the design and construction of major structures, according to a press release from Kokosing Construction.

Approximately 60 percent of the project will be constructed within the Monongahela National Forest. The final alignment required working and coordinating with the West Virginia Department of Highways, the Federal Highway Administration, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Forest Service, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to obtain the 404/401 and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits for the project.

The construction work will include approximately 12 million cubic yards of heavy earthwork, significant rock blasting and five bridge structures ranging up to 1,200 feet long and 200 feet tall. The expected completion date is October 2019.

Also on Thursday, the Randolph County Commission unanimously approved a $5,000 funding request from Robbie Morris, chairman of the Corridor H Authority, to assist with the project.

Morris said the Corridor H Authority is requesting funds from the seven counties — Randolph, Tucker, Upshur, Barbour, Grant, Hardy and Lewis — the highway runs through.

“The Corridor H Authority is asking the seven counties along the route that comprise the Corridor H Authority for a contribution to our operating expenses for fiscal year 2019,” he said. “In fiscal year 2017, due to state budget cuts, all the highway authorities were cut and those funds have not been replenished. We were able to operate about a year running off our reserves but those ran out.”

“I am pleased to report that the only county that has said they are unable to make a contribution at this point is Lewis County,” Morris said. “All other counties have either already committed or said that is coming.”

Morris explained to commissioners what contributions will be used for in conjunction with the project.

“Those funds are used to advocate and promote completion of the highway,” Morris said. “We are also looking into a couple other areas along the route. As far as those new sections that have been built, there is not a lot of great cell phone coverage and things like that so part of what we are also charged with is the economic development and community development along the highway as well.”

Morris told commissioners about Justice’s visit to the Kerens section and said the project is moving along well.

“The main focus has been on getting Corridor H completed sooner rather than later. I know a lot of people will tell me that is way past due but we had the governor out to visit Corridor H this morning and there is good progress being made,” he said. “Our government relations team has been working with our federal delegation on a new program called RCAP (Rural Community Assistance Partnership) that, in essence, would create a new program designed to prioritize completion of the ADHS (Appalachian Development Highway System) highway and we feel under the program Corridor H would score very high and provide the federal government opportunity and a method to accelerate its completion.”