A detailed look at the Coalfields Expressway

Returning to the WVDOH maps I received on various projects. This time, a look at the Coalfields Expressway.

Recently, a small segment of the highway opened around Sophia earlier this year.

There are eight segments for the Coalfields Expressway (currently signed as WV 121), running from the Virginia State Line to the I-64/77 interchange south of Beckley.

Here's a look at them running South to North.

Segment 1 - Virginia State Line to Bradshaw (WV 80). Length - 7 miles:

The Coalfields Expressway will roughly follow existing WV 83 from the VA line to WV 80 in Bradshaw.

Segment 2 - Bradshaw (WV 80) to Welch (US 52) - Length - 14 miles:

This segment will parallel WV 83 to near the town of English. From that point, it will run parallel and to the west of WV 16 to US 52 a few miles west of Welch.

Segment 3 - Welch (US 52) to King Coal/Coalfields Interchange (Future I-73/74) - Length - 6 miles:

The Coalfields will run to Welch's west, and cross County Route 7 South and East of Capels. It will meet the King Coal at an already completed interchange that now sits empty.

Segment 4 - King Coal/Coalfields Interchange (Future I-73/74) to Pineville (WV 10/16) - Length - 8 miles:

Coalfields will intersect WV 16 near Wolf Pen. It meets WV 10/16 east of Pineville.

Segment 5 - Pineville (WV 10/16) to Mullens (WV 54) - Length: 7.5 Miles:

This section roughly parallels WV 16 to the north; ending at WV 54 north of Mullens.

Segment 6 - Mullens (WV 54) to Surveyor Road - Length - 10 miles:

This section is shown under construction in the 2006/07 West Virginia Highway Map. (See Below)

Segment 7 - Surveyor Road to Sophia (WV 16/54) - Length - 3 miles:

Parts if not all of this segment have opened for use. This segment is forked as near Sophia a part of the Coalfields branches to the existing five lane (four and center turn lane) WV 16.

Segment 8 - Sophia to I-64/77 Interchange - Length - 3.6 miles:

This segment will run to the current I-64/77 Interchange. This interchange is currently a 'Directional-Y' interchange. I have yet to see the design of what a Coalfields/I-77/I-64 Interchange will look like.

Comments

Anonymous said…

WILL WE SEE THIS COMPLETED IN OUR LIFETIME....I'M 60

5:26 PM

Anonymous said…

Hope they buy me out for sure location groundhog in between Bradshaw and Jolo

8:40 PM

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

Massena Center Suspension Bridge

The Massena Center Bridge, also known as the Holton D. Robinson Bridge, has had quite the tumultuous history. Situated on the Grasse River just east of Massena, New York in the hamlet of Massena Center, the Massena Center Bridge is a reminder of the efforts the community has made in order to connect over the river. The first and only other known bridge to be built at Massena Center was built in 1832, but that bridge was never long for this world. During the spring of 1833, the Grasse River dammed itself due to an ice dam, flooded and lifted the bridge off its foundation, destroying the bridge in the process. The floods were frequent in the river during the spring, often backing up the river from Hogansburg and past Massena Center, but not to nearby Massena. After the first bridge disappeared, local residents had to resort to traveling seven miles west to Massena to cross the next closest bridge, and that was no easy task for a horse and buggy. However, it was many decades befo...

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents. Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes. When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood. The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71. The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway. Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog