BLUEFIELD, WV — Gov. Jim Justice today held an event to cut the ribbon and celebrate the grand opening of an approximately three-mile stretch of the King Coal Highway spanning from Airport Road to John Nash Boulevard near Bluefield.
The approximately $68 million project, the first section of the King Coal Highway to be funded through Gov. Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program, connects Airport Road to the previously constructed Christine Elmore West Bridge, and the bridge to the intersection of John Nash Boulevard and US 460. Kanawha Stone Company Inc. was awarded the contract in October 2018, with construction starting that winter.
Over the years, the bridge has been referred to as the “Bridge to Nowhere.”
"This is no longer the bridge to nowhere; it is finally a bridge to economic prosperity," Gov. Justice said. "Every last one of us pulled the rope together to get this project across the finish line. This one has been in the works for so many years, and it took a team with the right vision to get it done. We all worked together to turn this into a reality, and it's another sign of progress in West Virginia. I have no doubt this is just the beginning."
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