Corridor H Alternatives (CHA) has produced a color map of suggested highway improvements between Elkins and I-81. It matches upgrades with traffic projections by the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT). The map features places threatened by Corridor H. This approach would give us a safe and scenic highway network instead of a single overbuilt truck route. CHA hopes the map will encourage discussion of more effective ways to spend our money.

WVDOT’s version of Corridor H is not the way to go. Again this year, Corridor H has been named to the "Green Scissors" list of the country’s most wasteful and harmful federally-funded projects. Conservative taxpayer groups got together with environmental groups to target 72 "polluter porkbarrel" programs for 1999. They hope to save $50 billion while protecting our earth and our health. The Corridor's price tag of $1.5 billion is way above average.

On January 23, exactly two months after the Court of Appeals in Washington ordered an injunction against Corridor H construction, Governor Underwood appeared at an Elkins "Build-it" rally. He avoided discussion of the premature contracts that got the Court’s attention. Idled equipment may be costing the state as much as $46,000 a day. But the Governor wasn't interested in money-saving alternatives. He wouldn’t settle for anything less than the 100-mile four-lane to Wardensville.

The Governor’s main argument for the big "H" was the support of (nearly) every elected official from the area. What explains the unanimity? Never underestimate the value of a scapegoat. As long as the highway is not built, politicians can claim it would bring heaven on earth if only the devil would get out of the way.

Most new highways are built to ease traffic congestion. The new highways then attract more traffic, so paving contractors can stay busy. Corridor H is different, since none of its route would require four lanes for projected traffic. Hence the political appeal of the last-ditch issue: safety. But we don't need a new four-lane to solve that problem either.

The safest road through the mountains is Route 55--Virginia Route 55. WVDOT’s statistics in the EIS show the accident rate on upgraded 55 in Virginia is half the rate on our side of the border. Two-lane 55 is actually safer than four-lane US 33 just east of Elkins. Dangerous at-grade intersections on high-speed corridors cause too many wrecks. The next time a politician waves the safety flag, remind him or her of Virginia 55.

Alternatives remain as long as Corridor H isn’t funded or built. For specific suggestions, check out CHA’s new map. To get a copy, call toll-free 1-877-887-6276.