King Coal Highway, Williamson to Bluefield (Completed)
A location study initiated in 1992 by the consulting engineering firm of L. Robert Kimball & Associates studied various alternatives to provide a four-lane highway with partial access control between Appalachian Corridor G near Williamson, WV and I-77 near Bluefield, WV., extending approximately 40 miles. The cost for this improvement ranged from $1.5 billion to $2.33 billion. The engineering study was completed in April, 1995.
As a result, the WVDOH and the Federal Highway Administration propose to construct the King Coal Highway, approximately 90-miles in length, fom a point near Williamson – at the intersection of WV 65 and US 119 – to Interstate 77 at its US 52 interchange in the Bluefield area.
Coalfields Expressway, Beckley to VA State Line near Grundy, VA (Completed)
A location study initiated in 1992 by the consulting engineering firm of Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff, studied various alternatives to provide a four-lane highway with partial access control from Beckley, WV, via Welch, to the VA State Line near Grundy, VA, extending approximately 55 miles. Alternative costs ranged from $1 billion to $1.5 billion. The engineering study was completed in March, 1995.
As a result, the Coalfields Expressway has been designed to serve an area from Interstates 77 and 64 near Beckley southwest through West Virginia to Virginia Route 83 in Buchanan County, VA at Slate. The Expressway will generally follow West Virginia Route 16 through Raleigh and Wyoming Counties, and West Virginia Route 83 in McDowell County. This four-lane highway project, 62 miles long, is now approaching its construction phase.
Last Updated: 04/20/2022