The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) has accepted bids for a major section of the King Coal Highway, from Littlesburg to the Mercer County Airport in Mercer County.
“The Governor had three big priorities when he took office, King Coal, the Coalfields Expressway, and Corridor H, and we've made significant progress on all three,” said Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, P.E. “We've also made significant progress in getting through all the bureaucratic hurdles and there's still more to be done as far as streamlining those processes.”
Seven construction firms provided bids for the project at a special bid letting conducted by the WVDOH on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.
Construction of the 2.5-mile stretch of four-lane from Littlesburg to the airport is another step in the completion of the King Coal Highway, a four-lane highway that will eventually stretch approximately 95 miles and run through McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Wyoming and Wayne counties from US 119 near Williamson to Interstate 77 in Bluefield. The highway is designed to open West Virginia’s southern coalfields to economic development.
“We're moving forward on one more section of a road that has languished for decades and decades,” Wriston said. “It's finally happening, thanks to the Governor's big, bold vision.”
Development of the King Coal Highway has been underway since the 1990s, but bogged down for lack of funding before Gov. Jim Justice revitalized the project in 2018. A two-mile section of the King Coal Highway connecting Airport Road to Interstate 77, and a four-mile section connecting US 119 to Belo north of Williamson are currently open to traffic. About 10 miles between Red Jacket and Mountain View is also open.
An approximately three-mile stretch from Airport Road to John Nash Boulevard near Bluefield opened in December 2023.
Construction of the section of the King Coal Highway from Littlesburg to the airport is expected to begin in the spring of 2025.
“We're ready to build this road,” Wriston said. “The people in southern West Virginia deserve this road, which will open up the area for business and make travel safer.”
Development of the King Coal Highway continues. In July 2023, Triton Construction Inc. was awarded a contract for nearly $92 million to extend the existing four-lane highway for about 1.5 miles from Mountain View and create a connector to the town of Gilbert along Gilbert Creek.
An approximately $107 million project to extend the King Coal Highway from Montcalm to Littlesburg is currently in the planning stage.
Several factors are considered before awarding a bid, including whether a bid falls above or below the WVDOH Engineer’s Estimate and by what percentage. In cases where a bid is above the Engineer’s Estimate, WVDOH must consider the project need, repercussions of not awarding the project, additional funding sources, and whether sufficient reasons exist for the differences in estimates. Most projects are reviewed, analyzed, and awarded within a week of the bid letting, but the process can take longer.
When the Division of Highways has a project that is determined to be best constructed by a contractor, it is processed through the bid letting system. A letting is a scheduled opportunity for contractors to review and bid on several construction projects at one time. Lettings are held either once or twice per month and conducted through the Bid Express System online at www.bidx.com and handled through the Contract Administration Division. Contractors need to subscribe to Bid Express before bids can be accepted on any project.