Early History:
The story of Corridor H begins in the 1930s.  Benton McKay, who orchestrated the creation of the Appalachian Trail, suggested a network of highways and parkways throughout Appalachia. (1)  That proposal would become a key part of the 1965 Appalachian Regional Development Act.  The Act included the creation of the Appalachian Development Highway System (AHDS).  The highway system consisted of "...a 13-state regional highway system that called for the establishment of 23 corridors, each of which would contain a highway that would permit anticipated traffic to proceed in safety between major termini at an average speed of 50 miles per hour, commensurate with the terrain." (2) The corridors were established to connect the remote areas of Appalachia to the Interstate Highway system and link communities within the region.  The corridors would slowly remove Appalachia from its isolation from the economic and cultural centers of the East Coast and Midwest. 

Corridor H would be one of six (D, E, G, H, L, and Q) AHDS routes planned for and ultimately built in West Virginia.  Most of these routes were improvements tied to existing US highways, either through building new alignments or improving the current road.  Corridor E would be built entirely to freeway standards and become I-68 in 1991.  The remaining corridors have become key links within West Virginia's highway system.

Construction of Corridor H would start slowly.  By 1974, widening projects were beginning on US 33 immediately east of I-79 near Weston.  The only sign of significant construction of the highway was a six mile stretch of highway being built on a new alignment east of Elkins.  (see map at right)  The roadway from Canfield to Shavers Fork was opened in the mid-1970s.
 

However, the new highways never saw the light of day.  Environmental groups quickly voiced concerns and protested the route east of Shavers Fork.  In 1981, WV began the process of studies and hearings on an Environmental Impact Statement for the highway east of Shavers Fork.  Any progress from the studies and hearings stalled as funding issues would cause the state would shelve the project until 1990. (4)

Meanwhile, the state would begin in 1982 twelve years of constructing nearly 40 miles of Corridor H from I-79 east to just west of the city of Elkins.  This project was an improvement of US 33 and included a bypass of Buckhannon.
 

It would be the decision of the Northern Route that would begin a legal battle between the state and various opposition groups.  The battle would continue to intensify between 1994 and 1996.  During that time period, a citizen's group named 'Corridor H Alternatives' (CHA) was formed.  The grass-roots group which favors other alternatives to the new highway would become the most vocal and active of those against the highway.  The group would receive unexpected support from the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1995.  The Commonwealth would announce that they did not have any current interest in completing Corridor H from the State Line to Strasburg.  Their position would be a large contrast to that of former WV Governor Cecil Underwood, who would state that his administration's goal was to "...move aggressively toward construction of every segment of Corridor H as we have been financially and legally permitted to do so." (5)

The state would release their Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) in April 1996 and the Federal Highway Administration would announce a Record of Decision (ROD) approving the 100 mile route four months later.  In November, CHA would file suit in federal district court against the FHWA's ROD in addition to WVDOH.  CHA would allege that the state did not study improving existing routes, but rather push for the new highway.  They also would allege that WVDOT ignored impacts on two historical sites the Corricks Ford and Mooresville Civil War Battlefields.  The claim states that FHWA was in violation of Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. They argued that  "...[the] FHWA violated DOTA Section 4(f) by failing to identify all the historic sites it was charged with protecting prior to its decision approving the route of the proposed highway, and by erroneously concluding that the highway would not "use" two of the sites it did identify [section 106]..." (6)

The U.S. District Court would side in favor of the FHWA and WVDOH in October of 1997; however, CHA would immediately file an appeal. (4)  CHA would be joined throughout the legal dispute by 14 other plaintiff's and six friends of the court. (1)  The co-plaintiffs and friends of the court would include environmental groups, local citizen's groups, and also national taxpayer watchdog organizations.  CHA would file a second lawsuit in 1998 on the same grounds in regards to two other properties.  The second lawsuit would be dismissed in march of 1999.

The battle over Corridor H would continue to intensify in 1998 up to the calming of compromise in 1999.  In November 1998, a federal court ordered the WVDOH to halt all work on Corridor H except for a 3.5 mile segment of the North Elkins Bypass. (4) The beginning of calmer days came with a US District Court of Appeals decision on February 9, 1999.  The decision agreed that the two agencies did consider all alternatives, including improving existing routes, throughout the EIS processes.  However, it reversed the original decision of the FHWA not being in violation of Section 106 of the  NHPA and of Section 4(f) of the DOTA.  The decision would allow the CHA to file new lawsuits on future projects based on any possible violations of Section 106 and Section 4(f). (4)  The state would be allowed to complete the North Elkins Bypass and continue all studies for the rest of the highway.

The true compromise came in December 1999 as a result of the US District Court Mediation program.  The compromise broke the original ROD on the 100 mile route into nine segments.  ROD's would be issued for each segment.  The CHA would in turn "...waive the right to bring future lawsuits seeking further study of any alternative that does not include completing Corridor H as a continuous four-lane highway." (4)
 

1. Across Dans Mountain and Green Mountain
2. Existing US 220 through Keyser and the New Creek Valley
3. Existing WV 28 out of Wiley Ford and Knobley Road
4. Through the Patterson Creek Valley

In May of 2006, the WVDOH held three public information hearings on the possible alternatives on the North-South Corridor.

As for the rest of the highway from Elkins to Forman, many hurdles still need to be cleared.  Heading west from Forman the status of many segments seem to be up in the air.  Although the Stewards of the Potomac Highlands (a group monitoring the highway's progress) website shows that the 9.5 mile segment from Forman to Bismark is currently being built with an opening sometime in 2006, a January 2007 update from the WVDOH's official Corridor H website reads that construction should begin in the spring of 2007. (11)

The next segment east is a 16.5 mile segment from Bismark to Davis that will parallel WV Route 93.  The state was to begin right-of-way acquisition in 2003.  It is known that Corridor H near Davis will be built on top of Route 93. (12)  Meaning the existing highway will be used for two or the highway's four lanes.  As a result, only two new lanes of highway will need to be built.  The most recent information on this segment is for construction to start in 2009. (11)

The final 22.5 miles have the most hurdles to clear.  The 22.5 miles are broken into two segments, Davis to Parsons (9 miles, and Kearns (the end of the North Elkins Bypass) to Parsons (13.5 miles).  The Davis to Parsons section is home to the environmentally sensitive Blackwater Canyon region.  The state had hoped for a Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement (SFEIS) and Record of Decision in late 2001 but that had been pushed back to 2003 then to the fall of 2005. (4,10)  The state still hopes to have the SFEIS aprroved early in 2007 with a Record of Decision (ROD) announced by April that same year. (11)  This section - with the exception of Wardensville to the WV/VA line - is expected to be built last. (10)  Construction is targeted to begin in 2017.

The Parson to Kearns segment received a ROD in 2003; however, the state's current goal is to begin construction of this segment in 2012. (11)  CHA noted during the FEIS comment period that the North Elkins Bypass needed 2.5 times more excavation than originally planned. (10) This segment includes the Corrick's Ford Battlefield.

Finally, the furthest east segment, Wardensville to the VA line, is in the most limbo.  Construction of this segment was deferred 20 years as a result of a February 2000 agreement with CHA. (10) This segment though can begin construction sooner if traffic warrants.  Another aspect of the February agreement was West Virginia agreeing to pay Wardensville $1 million in capital improvements as a result of potential damage to the town's economy from construction Corridor H. (10)

Sources & Links:

Page Created: May 28, 2005
Last Updated: February 25, 2007

(C) 2005-07 Adam Prince