PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) — After nearly two decades, an expansion project on Route 35 in Mason and Putnam counties is nearly complete.

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito joined other state leaders Friday to get an update on what’s left of the four-lane expansion project.

“It is a main corridor going from the Midwest and down into the south,” Capito said. “I think you will probably see businesses probably cropping up around the road as it grows and matures, but this has been something I’m going to be really glad to see in 2021 when it is completed.

Previously a two-lane road, Route 35 saw a considerable amount of freight traffic which made it a safety hazard for local residents. The final stage of the project will be paving and is expected to be completed next July.

Route 35 stretches more than 400 miles from northern Indiana through West Virginia, ending at Interstate 64.