From the Go North Alliance
Background
The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) plans to issue environmental documents soon on two remaining sections of the controversial 100-mile Corridor H—and they are indicating that the Wardensville section will be first in the line of fire.
The 100-mile Appalachian Development Highway, as conceived in the 1960s, originally aimed to connect I-79 at Weston, West Virginia, with I-81 near Strasburg, VA. The 68-mile stretches of Corridor H that have already been built or are in progress (Elkins to Parsons and Davis to Wardensville) cost almost $2 billion. The remaining two sections (Parsons to Davis and Wardensville to the Virginia state line) will cost another billion.
WVDOH officials expect to release an Environmental Assessment soon for the 6.8-mile section in Hardy County from Wardensville to the Virginia border. For the 10-mile stretch from Parsons to Davis, WVDOH plans to issue an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) before the end of the year. Both documents require approval from the Federal Highway Administration before construction can begin. Local activists are prepared to make their voices heard.
We’ll be sharing information on how you, too, can submit your comments on these projects. Public input is critical, as it ensures that community perspectives are considered in decisions impacting the environment and local character. Your voice can make a difference in shaping the future of our region.
The Road to Nowhere
Environmentalists and local residents in the Wardensville to Virginia state line section have long questioned the need for a four-lane through the sparsely populated Potomac and Allegheny Highlands, known for their pristine streams, steep slopes, and diverse plant and animal species.
In fact, Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) vetoed its 15-mile portion of Corridor H during the last round of environmental hearings in 1995, and CTB spokesman Marshall Herman told the Charleston Gazette in January 2024 that Virginia still has no plans to build it. Shenandoah County and the town of Strasburg issued resolutions reaffirming their opposition in 2022.
Thus West Virginia’s four-lane portion of Corridor H would end on top of North Mountain. Opponents call the project a “Road to Nowhere.”
Nevertheless, Governor Jim Justice, who has just been elected to replace Joe Manchin as a West Virginia U.S. Senator, WVDOH Highway Commissioner Jimmy Wriston, and West Virginia U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, continue pushing to build to the state line, claiming an increase in traffic would force Virginia to build its section. The traffic volume on Route 55 now stands at less than 5,000 vehicles daily, which normally would not justify a four-lane highway.
What’s at stake
Three historic tourist towns—Thomas, Davis and Wardensville—have developed thriving tourist economies in recent years. Many of their business people do not want to bulldoze the historic sites, rivers, and forests, which attract people to the area to shop, dine, hear live music, and enjoy skiing, biking, and hiking.
In Davis and Thomas, environmentalists and businesses formed a “Go North” coalition to oppose WVDOH’s Preferred Alignment (known as the ROPA), which would build a conspicuous bridge across the Blackwater River and cut a swath dividing the twin towns. They want the corridor to go north around the town of Thomas—a plan that has been favored by state and federal environmental agencies.
But in the Wardensville section, the group Stewards of the Potomac Highlands opposes building Corridor H at all. Passing lanes on Route 55, they say, are what’s needed to help motorists get over North Mountain more quickly and safely.
This section of Corridor H would disturb trout stream tributaries of the Cacapon River, the George Washington National Forest (including several rare and endangered species), and the area’s sensitive karst limestone/sandstone terrain, including the recharge area for the Town of Wardensville’s main water source. The Town of Wardensville has filed detailed comments with WVDOH regarding their concerns.
West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection has already reported over 50 construction violations, damaging both private lands and the Monongahela National Forest, in the section from Kerens to Parsons currently being built in Randolph and Tucker County.
Stay tuned for your chance to comment on WVDOH’s environmental impact documents in Tucker and Hardy County. It’s your tax money and your roads. We’ll do our best to keep you informed. Learn more at go-northcorridorh.org