From the Green Scissors, a report documenting one of the biggest porkbarrel projects in the country from Friends of the Earth

Cancel the Corridor H project. Savings would be approximately $880 million because the federal taxpayer would pay 80 percent of the $1.1 billion total cost.

Appalachian Corridor H is a proposed 114-mile federal four-lane highway intended to expedite the trip from the Washington, D.C. area to the scenic West Virginia mountains and to "open up" the state for economic development. The proposed highway project would run between Elkins, West Virginia and I-66 and I-81 at Strasburg, Virginia. The cost would be approximately $1.1 billion, or $10 million per mile.

First, parallel east-west superhighways already serve the area. I-68 through Cumberland, Maryland passes within 35 miles of the proposed Corridor H, and I-64 goes through nearby towns. Regional linkage from major Eastern metropolitan centers to the Midwest is already provided by these and by I-70 through Ohio and Pennsylvania. Existing two-lane highways are Routes 219, 220, 33, 93, 28, 55, and 50.

Second, future traffic projections do not justify the project. Twenty-year traffic projections for the area fall considerably short of the volume that would justify a new four- lane highway according to a 1991 West Virginia Transportation Department study. Corridor H would not connect any major cities. The two largest towns that the project would link have populations of less than 10,000.

Third, there are better ways to boost the state’s economy. West Virginia University’s Regional Research Institute found that while corridors may result in expanded suburban areas, these highways do little for rural areas. Likewise, a 1991 National Transportation Research Board report concluded that highway construction projects in rural areas are poor investments with low rates of economic return.

Fourth, Corridor H is extremely expensive. The costs of carving through 3,000- and 4,000-foot mountains contribute to a $10-million-per-mile project cost. Making safety and service improvements on existing roads would be considerably less costly.

By marring West Virginia's natural, recreational and historic attractions, Corridor H would lessen the state’s appeal. The highway would forever change the character of what is now the largest roadless area in the East. Scenic America named the part of the area one of the "Ten Most Endangered Scenic Byways." Corridor H would harm native trout streams, impact groundwater and wetlands, cut through thousands of acres of farmland, and require bulldozing numerous historic sites.