The Alliance agrees with and adds to the strong concerns about the expansion of Corridor H into Virginia laid out by Shenandoah County and the Town of Strasburg in an official letter of opposition to West Virginia and U.S. transportation planners.
Corridor H is a massive almost 150 mile 4-lane highway running from Interstate 79 east through rural West Virginia ending in Wardensville WV, 7 miles short of the Virginia state border. West Virginia envisions the road crossing the state line, replacing the current Route 55 and connecting to the I-81/I-66 corridor near Strasburg.
Thankfully, Corridor H isn’t and has never been in any of the local or long-range transportation plans for Virginia.
This is a view of one of the massive Corridor H bridges near Baker West Virginia (click on the ⛶ in the top right to to view fullscreen).
In fact, many are on record in opposition dating back to the early ’90s, stating the potential harm to communities neighboring the proposed route. The Alliance has joined the ranks:
“There is very little support for building Corridor H in Virginia, and we are not aware of any state or local transportation planning for such an expansion. However, even with no construction in Virginia, the consequences of taking a four-lane divided highway right up to the state line are potentially severe. Why expand east of Wardensville when the road will end at the state line? The costs are much too high—financial costs, environmental costs, and costs to the local communities….
The Alliance agrees with and supports the resolutions recently adopted by Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors and the Strasburg Town Council opposing construction of Corridor H in Virginia…..
We also encourage you to consider the numerous comments submitted by Wardensville area residents, citing concerns about groundwater, safety, and diminished main street economic development and local quality of life…
We urge you to use a context sensitive approach to minimize the impacts on Virginia and West Virginia communities and more effectively, efficiently, and reasonably meet transportation needs in the region.”
You can read our full comment letter here.
Photo by Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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