Federal Highway Administration official gets look at Corridor H work

A top federal highway official got a firsthand look at ongoing construction Corridor H in Tucker County Tuesday. U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito and state Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston hosted Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Administrator Shailen Bhatt.

The tour included completed sections, bridges currently under construction and excavation efforts.

“West Virginians across the state know how important completing Corridor H is, and as Ranking Member of the Senate EPW Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have made securing federal resources for the highway a top priority,” Capito said in a news release from her office. “I invited Administrator Bhatt to West Virginia to see firsthand why Corridor H is vital to our state’s economic future, as well as the unique challenges our state’s topography presents in building new roads. I will continue working to secure federal funding and improve the permitting and environmental review process so that we can finish Corridor H.”

Bhatt said it was good to see the work himself.

“I’m excited to join Ranking Member Capito today for a tour of Corridor H to get a firsthand look at this critical project and the surrounding communities that will benefit from improved connectivity, mobility and economic opportunities,” Bhatt said. “Investing in rural America is a top priority for the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration is working closely with the West Virginia Department of Transportation on Corridor H, including overseeing active construction underway on the Kerens to Parsons segment, which includes $603 million in Federal funding. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners in West Virginia to advance this important project.”

The state Division of Highways announced last week that it’s ready to go to bid on the next contract for the Kerens to Parsons section which is the Roaring Run Bridge project. Wriston announced all environmental hurdles had been cleared for the project.

“One section after another, we’re going to build this road,” Wriston said. “Finally, we’ve jumped through all the hoops. We’ve satisfied all the federal bureaucracy, and we’re ready to advertise this contract for letting.”

Building Corridor H from Kerens to Parsons is divided into five projects. The section from US 219 to WV 72 is section two. Paving work on section two will be done concurrently with paving on section one, which carries Corridor H from Kerens to US 219.

West Virginia Paving was awarded a contract for $29.9 million in 2021 for paving work on section one. Sections one and two are expected to open to traffic in the summer of 2025.