Trending
CHARLESTON -- The West Virginia Division of Highways confirmed Wednesday that it is providing data for an alternate northern route for the section of Corridor H to be built between Parsons and Davis.
The DOH said in a press release Wednesday it is providing the additional data "in order to expedite the design process."
"We've really listened to what the public asked us to do," Jason Foster, P.E., Chief Engineer of Development, said. "We have continuously revised that alignment to make it better for the region."
Earlier this week, the Go North Corridor H Alliance said it had been notified by email from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration that an upcoming report will include the study of "a Blackwater Avoidance Alternative," an alternate route that has been supported by many local residents.
An online petition asking that an alternate northern route for Corridor H from Parsons to Davis be considered has been signed by more than 5,000 people.
"Providing additional evaluation of alternate routes is not uncommon on large projects and can in many cases provide efficiency to the process," the Wednesday DOH press release stated.
The DOH is preparing a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to submit to the Federal Highway Administration that includes a Blackwater Avoidance Alternative route that runs north of the towns of Davis and Thomas.
The alternate route is in addition to the DOH's Revised Original Preferred Alternative, which would connect just east of Parsons, crossing over Backbone Mountain, to connect with the existing portion of Corridor H at Davis.
Foster said the design includes a relocation of WV 32 to serve as a truck bypass route for the town of Thomas, as well as a new interchange to serve Tucker County High School, and improvements to help the communities of Thomas and Davis.
A draft of a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement including the additional information on the alternate route is expected to be published for public comment in late 2023, with a final draft expected by late 2024.
The four-lane Corridor H highway, now about 90 percent complete, begins at Weston and travels across central West Virginia, to eventually link up with Interstate 81 in Strasburg, Virginia. The highway is expected to open some of West Virginia's most remote areas in Grant, Tucker and Hardy counties to economic development, connect West Virginia's highlands with eastern ports, speed travel times through the mountains and provide a smooth, safe highway for travelers and local residents.