CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice joined West Virginia Department of Transportation officials today for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of work on Section 3 of the Kerens to Parsons project on Appalachian Corridor H (U.S. Route 48).
“I can tell everyone here one thing,” Gov. Justice said. “My goal is for ALL of Corridor H to be under contract before I leave office. We’re going to finish this road.”
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The successful bid of $49,488,494 was made by A.L.L. Construction Inc. of Mount Storm.
Work will consist of grading and drainage work on an approximately three-mile section of Corridor 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, WV, to Interstate 81 in Strasburg, VA.
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“As I’ve said over and over, the single most important project in our state right now is Corridor H,” Gov. Justice said. “Corridor H will connect all kinds of communities, from Parsons, to Kerens, to Davis, to the state line and far beyond so we can bring more and more prosperity to all of West Virginia. And not only will this project employ a bunch of people, but travelers will continue to spend all kinds of money in these communities long after construction ends.”
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Gov. Justice was joined by Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Transportation Jimmy Wriston, and Chairman of the Corridor H Highway Authority Robbie Morris, along with other officials.
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Currently, 113 miles of Corridor H are open to traffic in West Virginia, with 31 miles left to open, including 15 miles that are under active construction. To date, an estimated $1.93 billion has been spent on Corridor H, with an estimated $1 billion-worth of work remaining.
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The completion of Corridor H has been in the works for decades, but stalled out years ago. However, when Gov. Justice took office and instituted his Roads To Prosperity program, additional funding began to be secured and work on the corridor picked back up.
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