Safety

A motorist driving on US 52 from Bluefield to Williamson now must travel through 35 communities and six school zones. Slowdowns are common as drivers contend with in-town traffic stops and turns. In and out of town, the motorist contends with heavy truck traffic and a succession of steep grades and difficult curves over rugged mountain terrain.

This heavy truck traffic has caused the situation to become more and more difficult in recent years. Between 1987 and 1992, the percentage of coal moving out of the area by truck increased by approximately 11 percent. These trucks carry over half of all coal mined in the area.

At the same time, the demand to provide access to schools, hospitals and stores has increased as facilities have been centralized. All this slows and hampers the movement of traffic.

A 1993 study demonstrated that peak hour traffic volume was operating below standard levels of efficiency over two-thirds of the entire route. Engineers project that by the year 2013, approximately 90 percent of the route would be functioning at a level below standard, including 13 of the 14 intersecting roadways along existing US 52.

When engineers surveyed US 52, they found curve after curve which simply cannot adequately handle today's traffic. (See Study Route chart)
Accident data for 1990 through 1992 indicated that one third of the present US 52 had accident rates higher than the West Virginia average. Perhaps more significantly, 86 percent of the route had a higher percentage of accidents involving fatalities and injuries than the state's average.

Furthermore, part of the existing highway had twice the state average of head-on collisions, and almost all (97 percent) of the route had higher than average incidence of sideswipe accidents.

The King Coal Highway is designed to alleviate those major motoring problems, while cutting the travel time approximately in half. As it speeds and eases the trip, it also will provide markedly increased safety.