The greatest achievements of Middle Ages engineering and labor were cathedrals commissioned by the Roman Catholic Church and constructed by locals. In France, it took 30 years, from 1194 to 1220 to finish it. England’s Salisbury Cathedral, constructed at about the same time, took a little less than 40 years, all with classical era mathematics, hand tools, and determination.
Those who built those incredible edifices would marvel at the going on seven decades invested in constructing a mere road. Next year, however, should bring important steps in completing this vital highway to the Virginia State Line.
In 1998, Hardy County residents shared with CNN the need for the then-proposed four-lane expressway extending Corridor H from Elkins to the Virginia State Line. Many feared the spillage from chicken plant trucks on mountain roads during periods where roads froze over, the fats in the substances contributing to dangerous conditions. Residents shared the dangers of ever-increasing numbers of freight carrying trucks in the region.
Moorefield restaurant owner David Nesbit told CNN in 1998 that “monthly you hear of some kind of wreck.” Mail carrier Nora Richard stated that “we have lots of little children around here. My main thing is to get these big trucks off our little roads.”
Delegate Harold Michael (D-Hardy) at the time focused on the opportunities that the highway would create, saying “We have a good labor market. We have all those things to offer. Low taxes. We just need a way to get people in and out.”
Since construction, the highway’s impact has been better than advertised. It contributed mightily to the renaissance of Wardensville and Thomas while improving commercial transport, supporting established manufacturing and processing. It has also opened opportunities for business both new and old. Travelers have found the modern highway safer than the two-lane winding roads that connected Hardy County with everywhere else.
Construction will open in 2026 on the two incomplete sections that bookend the route between Thomas and Wardensville. A large part of the work yet to be finished between Parsons in Tucker and Kerens in Randolph County will go to the nearly $80 million Roaring Run Bridge with about $26 million scheduled for work this coming year.
Governor Jim Justice’s Secretary of Transportation said a little over a year ago that “This accomplishment involved many late nights of work and after-hour meetings involved in coordinating with our partners at FHWA, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Monongahela National Forest, local leaders, our design consultants, and residents of the local communities. With this project now being underway, only two sections remain in achieving the ultimate goal of fully completing Corridor H.”
Another related project will see just over $20 million in federal and state funds spent to improve West Virginia Route 72 between the Corridor H intersection and Parsons.
After the road extends from Kerens to Parsons, that leaves the section that will eventually connect Parsons to Davis. No work has taken place on construction, but over $9 million will go towards “wetland mitigation” to reduce impacts of the road work on the surrounding area.
The released information indicated that much of the highway planned to connect Wardensville and the state line would commence on May 28 of next year. Grading and draining the land to prepare for the road bed will come first. Grading, draining, and construction will continue into 2027.
One of the other important projects slated for Hardy County next year will be the $4.5 million rehabilitation of the Clayton Memorial Bridge.
Planned projects may not always find their way through to completion. In recent years, a STIP release contained information about a proposed project to construct an emergency truck lane off US 33 on the east slope of Allegheny Mountain, but never came to fruition.
