Tag: Coalfields Expressway

Federal Infrastructure Funding Granted To Coalfields Expressway Project

Grant funding totaling $25 million is going towards the Coalfields Expressway in the southern part of the state.

Grant funding totaling $25 million is going towards the Coalfields Expressway in the southern part of the state.

The money comes from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and will go towards the construction of a new segment of road connecting the north end of Mullens in Wyoming County to the segment of West Virginia Route 16 east of New Richmond.

The proposed four-lane highway has been in development on-and-off since 1998. When completed, it will connect Interstates 64 and 77, also known as the West Virginia Turnpike, in Beckley with U.S. Route 23 near Slate, Virginia.

Work started on another segment of the highway connecting it to the town of Welch in August, which is expected to be finished in 2026.

“This highway will make our state more accessible, connect workers to jobs, and help drive tourism and other economic activity,” U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said in a joint statement alongside fellow Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. “Today marks an important step for the future of this key highway project, and I’m looking forward to seeing the impact it will have on all West Virginians.”

“Our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to bring historic investments to West Virginia — creating long-term, good-paying jobs while also addressing the state’s infrastructure needs,” Manchin echoed. “The funding announced today will help construct the Coalfields Expressway to better connect our southern West Virginia communities, and I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this project for years to come.”

The governor’s office announced last week that $548 million from the same federal grant will go to help maintain bridges across the state.

Coalfields Expressway To Welch Breaks Ground

Gov. Jim Justice, the West Virginia Department of Transportation and local officials celebrated the next phase of the Coalfields Expressway Monday.

Gov. Jim Justice, the West Virginia Department of Transportation and local officials celebrated the next phase of the Coalfields Expressway Monday. The road is expected to help with economic development and connect parts of mountainous southern West Virginia .

The bid for the construction of the next five miles of the road to Welch was awarded to Bizzack Construction of Lexington, Kentucky in May. The project is part of Justice’s Roads To Prosperity program. The same program helped to complete the road from Slab Fork to Mullens in Wyoming County, which opened in 2020.

The planned route continues into southwest Virginia through Grundy and will end at Pound, Virginia connecting with U.S. 23.

The four lane highway broke ground back in 2000 but the idea for the road goes back to the late 1960’s, when the road was called the Beckley to Grundy Road. The infrastructure project is more than 27 years in the making.

More than 15 years ago a Marshall University study conducted a study that found that the Coalfields Expressway would help create a better economy for the region.

Company Awarded Bid for Coalfields Expressway Also in Trouble Over Water Pollution Violations

The West Virginia Department of Transportation has awarded a contract to pave nearly nine miles along the Coalfields Expressway between Mullens and Slab Fork., according to a press release Wednesday from Governor Jim Justice’s office.  Work also extends to include the Mullens Connector. The infrastructure project is nearly 30 years in the making.

According to the press release, the project was awarded to Ohio-based Kokosing Construction Company with a bid of $44.3 million.

That same company is also doing work on Corridor H in Tucker and Randolph counties. 

The state Department of Environmental Protection found violations of Kokosing’s water pollution control permits along Corridor H between December last year and September this year. As a result of those violations, the DEP issued a stop-work order, giving the company 20 days to fix their problems. 

Tucker County resident, Barbara Weiner, lives on a farm about a quarter mile from the construction along Corridor H. She said water in the stream near her home, Haddox Run, has been muddy and filled with sediment following construction. 

“And what we’ve been seeing is every time it rains the stream gets opaque, brown, and has not ever cleared up since construction began,” she said.

West Virginia Public Broadcasting reached out to Governor Jim Justice’s office and Kokosing Construction Company for a comment. Neither responded by the time this story was published. 

Update Oct. 5. 2018 10:35 a.m.:

After this story published, Mike Koelbl, Vice President for Kokosing Construction Company, Inc. sent the following statement in an email:

“Kokosing Construction Company is committed to preserving the environment and limiting construction impacts as we build important infrastructure for the State of West Virginia. There has been unusually heavy rainfall this year. In fact, the region has experienced over 11 inches of rain in September alone. We are working closely with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the West Virginia Division of Highways to contain the effects of these rain events.”

Coal Slump Puts Coalfields Expressway Project on Hold

A slumping coal industry has put a Coalfields Expressway project in southern West Virginia on hold.

The state planned to build a section of the four-lane highway in McDowell County through a public-private partnership with a coal company. The company would convert a mined area into roadbed.

Coalfields Expressway Authority executive director Richard Browning says discussions about the project have stopped because of a depressed coal market.

Browning tells the Bluefield Daily Telegraph that he expects the plan to proceed if the market improves.

The Coalfields Expressway will run from Raleigh County in West Virginia to Buchanan County in Virginia. About 6 miles of the highway have been completed in West Virginia. Another 2 miles have been completed in Virginia.

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