BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) – Governor Jim Justice and U.S. Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin celebrated the grand opening of the completion of U.S. Route 35 on Thursday.
The U.S. Route 35 project took 53 years to complete in its entirety.
The completion project of U.S. Route 35 was kicked off by Gov. Justice in 2019 as part of the Roads to Prosperity program.
The project is the 1,000 project completed through the Roads to Prosperity program.
This project allows travelers to drive on a four-lane road for 37 consecutive miles beginning at the Interstate 64 exit at Scott Depot and continuing straight through to Point Pleasant and the Ohio state line.
Completion of the massive project was made possible through Gov. Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity highway construction and maintenance program. The program, addressing roads and bridges all over the Mountain State, is the most aggressive highway construction program in West Virginia history.
The completion of U.S. Route 35 has been one of Senator Shelley Moore Capito’s priorities for years.
“Route 35 has been a major infrastructure priority for me since I was first elected to the House of Representatives, so I’m elated to see it finally come to completion today,” Senator Capito said. “This project is the culmination of years of federal, state, and local teamwork.”
The final 14.6-mile section of US Route 35 cost approximately $257 million.
The project included 10 new bridges and a new interchange where US Route 35 meets WV 869 and required a completely new alignment for the highway.