West Virginia officials attend groundbreaking ceremony for Corridor H section

PARSONS, W.Va. (WV News) — West Virginia officials participated in a groundbreaking ceremony Friday to celebrate the start of work on Section 3 of the Kerens to Parsons project on Appalachian Corridor H.

Corridor H, which has been under construction for decades, will connect Interstate 79 in Weston to Interstate 81 in Strasburg, Virginia, when it is fully completed.

“My goal is for all of Corridor H to be under contract before I leave office,” said Gov. Jim Justice. We’re going to finish this road.”

The successful bid of $49,488,494 was made by A.L.L. Construction Inc. of Mount Storm.

Work will consist of grading and drainage work on an approximately three-mile section of Corridor beginning near the Cheat River Bridge, which is currently under construction. At 3,300 feet, the Cheat River Bridge will be among the longest bridges in West Virginia when completed. The four-lane bridge will link the 15-mile stretch of Corridor H between Kerens and Parsons with the section between Parsons and Davis.

Contractors are expected to move more than seven million yards of dirt to prepare the section of highway for construction and paving. Work is expected to be complete by the fall of 2025.

Currently, 113 miles of Corridor H are open to traffic in West Virginia, with 31 miles left to open, including 15 miles that are under active construction. To date, an estimated $1.93 billion has been spent on Corridor H, with an estimated $1 billion-worth of work remaining.

“The groundbreaking of this key section between Kerens and Parsons marks a major milestone for this critical transportation project, and I’m thrilled for the positive impact it will have for years to come as we continue to expand and improve West Virginia’s roads and bridges,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.

“I have been working to complete Corridor H since I was governor,” said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who served as the state’s governor from 2005 to 2010.

“As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and lead negotiator of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, I have never stopped fighting to complete this critical highway.”