Sen. Capito, federal highway administrator visit Corridor H in Parsons (West Virginia)

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., on Tuesday hosted Federal Highway Administration Administrator Shailen Bhatt to see completed and ongoing construction projects on Corridor H.

While driving on Corridor H with West Virginia Department of Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, Capito and Bhatt toured newly completed elements of the highway, bridge construction efforts and excavation underway for future projects aimed at completing Corridor H.

“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. “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.”

Corridor H has received several tranches of federal funding, which Capito helped secure, including:

• December 6, 2018: $20 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development Grants

• May 31, 2019: $100 million through DOT’s Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects program

• June 15, 2020: $12 million from DOT

• December 22, 2022: $5 million through a Congressionally Directed Spending measure included in the Fiscal Year 2023 government funding legislation.

• March 23, 2024: $12.5 million through a CDS measure included in FY24 government funding legislation.

“I’m excited to join Ranking Member Capito today for a tour of Corridor H to get a first-hand 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.”