Local News

‘We’re going to finish’

Ground broken on Corridor H section

HAMBLETON -- Gov. Jim Justice joined other officials at a groundbreaking ceremony for a nearly $50 million section of Corridor H in Tucker County Friday.

Justice, joined by his K-9 companion Babydog, told the crowd that Corridor H is vital for the Mountain State.

"I have said it over and over and over, Corridor H is the most important of them all," Justice said. "Some way, somehow, we are going to be under contract to have Corridor H done, before I leave office. We're going to finish this road."

Justice thanked all those who have worked on the project from helping garner funding to construction, including Senators Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who both had representatives present at the groundbreaking.

"It is the absolute most important to drive growth, to drive business opportunity, to drive jobs, drive all kinds of tourism, drive everything right here in our lap," Justice said. "It is really that important."

Robbie Morris, director of both the Corridor H Authority and the Randolph County Development Authority, spoke about the importance of finishing the highway.

"Welcome to a great day for Corridor H," Morris said. "It is an honor to be here today as we break ground on section three of the Kerens to Parsons section of Corridor H.

"For decades, citizens of West Virginia have waited for this long-overdue project to be completed. Today, we celebrate another milestone in this journey to complete Corridor H. For a project of this magnitude to become reality, it takes a diverse team of individuals and organizations to make it happen."

Morris noted that while it requires significant financial resources from the federal government, the priority to complete this highway must be set at the state level.

"From day one, Gov. Justice has said that Corridor H is the number one highway construction project priority in the state," Morris said. "Throughout his time in office, he has held true to that promise. There are states sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars for the Appalachian Development Highway System because they are interested in completing their ADHS corridors."

Morris said Justice working with his team at the Division of Highways has applied for and used every federal dollar possible to put toward Corridor H.

"Through the governor's Roads to Prosperity program the state has thrown in significant dollars towards this project as well," Morris said. "It is leadership and commitment like that why we are here today. It is also why people are finally gaining hope that this long overdue project will finally be completed."

Morris said he is excited to see the potential that Corridor H brings to the local area.

"It is always a great day when we break ground on a new section of Corridor H, this section will complete the Kerens to Parsons section having the entire thing under construction," Morris told The Inter-Mountain at the groundbreaking site. "This is a milestone day and I am really excited about the potential that Corridor H will bring to this area. We are already seeing a lot of economic growth along the path and this will just continue that trend."

West Virginia Commissioner of Highways Jimmy Wriston brought the crowd's attention to large piles of trees that have been removed from the road's pathway. He said the removal of the trees was significant to ensure construction could begin this season.

"If we didn't get those piles of trees by March 15, we would have lost the entire construction season," he said. He added that A.l.l. Construction, the contractor for the roadway, used West Virginia companies and workers to ensure the trees were removed in time for construction to begin.

"This is a little more than 3 miles of brand-new Corridor H coming to your doorstep here," he said. "This is what is going to happen over the next two years, next year and half, all the way until we connect this thing up. We are going to get it done, we are going to get this done."

After Justice finished speaking, he brought Babydog out to meet the crowd. Several people took the time to take pictures and pet the bulldog.

Justice was delayed in attending the groundbreaking ceremony. He tried to board his plane at Lewisburg around 9:30 a.m. Friday morning, but was told the plane had a fuel leak. Justice said he really wanted to attend the event and so drove himself from Lewisburg to Tucker County.

"We left Lewisburg at about 9:40 a.m. and we got here around 12:40 p.m. ... This has been a journey, a high-speed journey," Justice said. "I was driving, and Drew, Captain Pendleton, who is head of my detail, said several times, 'Now calm down, Ricky Bobby.'"

State Senator Bill Hamilton, R-Upshur, was in attendance at the ceremony and is a long-time supporter of Corridor H construction

"Corridor H has been on the table since 1965 and even though it is done through Upshur County, which is where my home is, people ask me why I am such a proponent of Corridor H when it is done, but we've got to get it connected," he said.

Hamilton said once the highway is completed in West Virginia, he believes Virginia will follow suit, and the roadway will be beneficial to the state.

"I have always been a proponent of Corridor H and it is going to open up this area big time," he said.

State Delegate Chris Phillips, R-Barbour, said he was excited to see the project coming closer to completion.

"It is going incredible for the whole region, for economic development and tourism, but the most exciting thing is that this road is what is going to bring our kids back home from the Carolinas and from Virginia. That is going to be the most exciting thing, riding on this road is our families coming home," Phillips told The Inter-Mountain.

Randolph County Commission President David Kesling said he was excited another section is getting closer to completion, and noted the county is looking to help.

"A project that the county is looking to do is partner with Kurt Gainer (Randolph County Emergency Squad director) on building a new substation for EMS out on Corridor H for faster response times," Kesling said.

In a press release, Manchin applauded the groundbreaking ceremony. Manchin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the current work on Corridor H has been made possible as a result of $274,442,537 of federal funding secured by Manchin.

"I have been working to complete Corridor H since I was governor. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and lead negotiator of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), I have never stopped fighting to complete this critical highway," Manchin said in the release.

"I am proud to have secured more than $274 million in federal funding over the past several years to ensure the state of West Virginia has the resources necessary to get the job done. Corridor H will spur economic development, further open up our outdoor recreation economy to tourists, and promote safe and secure travel for all West Virginians.

"Like most projects, it could not happen without a sustained bipartisan commitment from all West Virginia's leaders, and I will continue working with my colleagues to deliver for West Virginians," Manchin said.

A press release from Capito states the senator has delivered resources for Corridor H's completion through Congressionally Directed Spending, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act she crafted in the EPW Committee, and other funding sources.

"As a member of the Appropriations Committee, and in my role at the EPW Committee overseeing the Federal Highway Administration, I've consistently pushed for the completion of Corridor H and helped deliver funds to do so," Capito said. "The groundbreaking of this key section between Kerens and Parsons marks a major milestone for this critical transportation project, and I'm thrilled for the positive impact it will have for years to come as we continue to expand and improve West Virginia's roads and bridges."

Construction for the section of the road will be done by A.L.L. Construction Inc. of Mount Storm, who submitted the successful bid of $49,488,494. Work will consist of grading and drainage work on an approximately three-mile section of Corridor H beginning near the Cheat River Bridge, which is currently under construction.

At 3,300 feet, the Cheat River Bridge will be among the longest bridges in West Virginia when completed. The four-lane bridge will link the 15-mile stretch of Corridor H between Kerens and Parsons with the section between Parsons and Davis.

Contractors are expected to move more than seven million yards of dirt to prepare the section of highway for construction and paving. Work is expected to be complete by the fall of 2025.

When Corridor H is fully completed, it will connect Interstate 79 in Weston to Interstate 81 in Strasburg, Virginia.