New Corridor H designs revealed
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CHARLESTON -- On Friday the West Virginia Division of Highways shared its latest designs for the segment of Corridor H set to stretch from Parsons to Davis.
"Our efforts on Corridor H remain result-oriented," said Jimmy Wriston, P.E., Secretary of Transportation. "We are working with our federal partners, and local communities, at every level, to ensure that we construct a safe, efficient, modern highway that protects the valuable resources and the beauty of our great state."
More than 5,000 individuals have now signed an online petition asking that the path of the Corridor H highway through Tucker County be changed to an alternative "northern route."
"We're going to build that road," Wriston said on Friday. "And we're going to build it right."
The nine-mile, four-lane corridor will connect just east of Parsons, crossing over Backbone Mountain, to connect with the existing portion of Corridor H at Davis, DOH officials said.
The latest design also includes a relocation of WV 32 to serve as a truck bypass route for the town of Thomas.
The four-lane highway will pass under WV 32 with an overpass bridge. The interchange was moved to the east to include a service road, preserving the natural flow to the towns of Thomas and Davis, officials said. This will also reduce the footprint for sound and viewshed in the area.
The project will also provide Tucker County High School with direct access to Corridor H with an interchange that includes the safety measures of having no left turns onto the corridor for buses or students entering and exiting the school. This design will reduce traffic backups and accidents, officials said.
A 1,000-foot steel arch bridge with a center span of 700 feet is being designed to span the North Fork of the Blackwater River, officials said. A planned overlook, with informational site on the history of the area, will be on the Southeast end of the bridge looking toward Douglas Falls.
Construction of Corridor H from Parsons to Davis is anticipated to begin in 2024, with completion expected in 2030, though officials would like to accelerate that schedule.