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Coalfields Expressway

Started by hbelkins, December 19, 2014, 07:30:46 PM

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rickmastfan67

Quote from: 74/171FAN on August 03, 2022, 11:03:39 AM
I split this off from the Corridor H thread before that possibly became a Coalfields Expressway Thread.  -Mark

And I just merged it into the main Coalfields Expressway thread.


sbeaver44

Quote from: hbelkins on August 11, 2022, 02:13:14 PM
My understanding is that Q (460) will join the Coalfields (121) for a short concurrency heading generally northeast before Q splits off to join the four-lane at Grundy.

Where is this industrial park? I need to check it out sometime.

There is a four-lane pretty much all the way from Beckley to Pikeville, but you have to go through Princeton, Tazewell, and Richlands, and Grundy on 460, so it's not direct.
It is SW of Grundy off Southern Gap Rd

https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=15/37.2294/-82.1577

seicer

#177
Roll sheet for the Coalfields Expressway's newest 8 mile segment to be built from Mullens to Pineville: https://transportation.wv.gov/highways/engineering/comment/CoalfieldsExpresswayMullinstoPineville/Documents/2022-08-23_PublicMeetingRoll--ML.pdf

- Cabin Creek Road will be severed with a giant fill. There will be a new connector along CR 10/13 from the Coalfields Expressway to Twin Falls State Park.
- There will be an intersection with WV 10/16 at Pineville.
- A second connector road (2 lanes, not 4 as originally proposed) to Mullens will be built. I'm not sure why as there is one on the opposite side of the bridge over Slab Fork (https://goo.gl/maps/9rHtYS4VRZEcNUzSA).

Roll sheet for the nearly 3 mile Twin Falls Connector: https://transportation.wv.gov/highways/engineering/comment/CoalfieldsExpresswayMullinstoPineville/Documents/2022-08-23_PublicMeetingRoll-TF.pdf
- This will replace a very narrow road with one-lane bridges with a modern two-lane route feeding into the state park. It is presumed that this will be the new primary entrance from the park so it will be expected to serve RVs.

--

https://transportation.wv.gov/highways/engineering/comment/CoalfieldsExpresswayMullinstoPineville/Documents/WVDOT_Coalfields_Public_Meeting_Boards_WEB.pdf

A 7 mile segment from Pineville to a WV 16 connector will be built afterward, followed by a 5 mile segment from the WV 16 connector to CR 7 near Welch.

hbelkins

Quote from: seicer on November 02, 2022, 12:39:08 PM
- A second connector road (2 lanes, not 4 as originally proposed) to Mullens will be built. I'm not sure why as there is one on the opposite side of the bridge over Slab Fork (https://goo.gl/maps/9rHtYS4VRZEcNUzSA).

Maybe it won't be as steep as the existing one. That's been one complaint I've seen several people make; that the connector is steep and curvy and would be hard to keep cleared in winter.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Bitmapped

#179
Quote from: hbelkins on November 02, 2022, 04:50:11 PM
Quote from: seicer on November 02, 2022, 12:39:08 PM
- A second connector road (2 lanes, not 4 as originally proposed) to Mullens will be built. I'm not sure why as there is one on the opposite side of the bridge over Slab Fork (https://goo.gl/maps/9rHtYS4VRZEcNUzSA).

I believe the existing connector is signed for an 11% grade. Corridor H has some connectors in that range, but they're more open so the light can get to them in the winter to help with snow/ice removal. The Mullens connector is twistier and largely in the shadows.

I'll be curious if WVDOH keeps the existing connector open or abandons it. When they were building the King Coal Highway segment that is open in Mingo County, WVDOH went to a lot of expense to build CR 252/58 as a temporary connector from old US 52 to the new route only to abandon it a year or two later when the WV 44 extension was finished. The Mullens Connector was built of concrete, so maybe they intend to keep it?

seicer


Tom958

Quote from: hbelkins on November 02, 2022, 04:50:11 PM
Quote from: seicer on November 02, 2022, 12:39:08 PM
- A second connector road (2 lanes, not 4 as originally proposed) to Mullens will be built. I'm not sure why as there is one on the opposite side of the bridge over Slab Fork (https://goo.gl/maps/9rHtYS4VRZEcNUzSA).

Maybe it won't be as steep as the existing one. That's been one complaint I've seen several people make; that the connector is steep and curvy and would be hard to keep cleared in winter.

It's not even half as long as the existing one. It looks like it must be even steeper! Maybe it's to be built for construction access and preserved for later use.

Bitmapped

Quote from: seicer on November 03, 2022, 09:10:28 PM
Where is/was CR 252/58?

About 1/4 mile west of WV 44. It now dead ends near King Coal ROW. It is visible on Google Maps.

rickmastfan67

#183
Seems WVDOT finally 'officially' rerouted US-52 onto the King Coal Highway.  New StreetView as of Aug '22 shows it on the WV-44 connector now.

https://goo.gl/maps/xRj3hL453uPheZuy7

Strange thing is, that's the only new StreetView there that shows the change, as the closer you get to the intersection, it defaults back to '16 imagery.

seicer

The 2015 streetview shows US 52 signed on that new alignment, too. Despite the length of those connectors, the new route is faster than the previous, and one can easily keep it at 65 MPH without any problem (unexpected dips and faults notwithstanding).

hbelkins

Quote from: Bitmapped on November 03, 2022, 11:39:04 PM
Quote from: seicer on November 03, 2022, 09:10:28 PM
Where is/was CR 252/58?

About 1/4 mile west of WV 44. It now dead ends near King Coal ROW. It is visible on Google Maps.

By the time I got up there to drive the route, the WV 44 extension was already open. I don't remember the CR being used as the connector.

I haven't been out that way to see if US 52 is signed off the WV 65 and WV 44 intersections or not. Last time I was up there, the new route was signed as US 52 but signage on the old US 52 still indicated it used the old route.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Alps

Quote from: hbelkins on November 04, 2022, 11:33:33 AM
Quote from: Bitmapped on November 03, 2022, 11:39:04 PM
Quote from: seicer on November 03, 2022, 09:10:28 PM
Where is/was CR 252/58?

About 1/4 mile west of WV 44. It now dead ends near King Coal ROW. It is visible on Google Maps.

By the time I got up there to drive the route, the WV 44 extension was already open. I don't remember the CR being used as the connector.

I haven't been out that way to see if US 52 is signed off the WV 65 and WV 44 intersections or not. Last time I was up there, the new route was signed as US 52 but signage on the old US 52 still indicated it used the old route.
Exactly - 52 I believe still DOES follow the old route, but yet the signs.

Bitmapped

Quote from: hbelkins on November 04, 2022, 11:33:33 AM
Quote from: Bitmapped on November 03, 2022, 11:39:04 PM
Quote from: seicer on November 03, 2022, 09:10:28 PM
Where is/was CR 252/58?

About 1/4 mile west of WV 44. It now dead ends near King Coal ROW. It is visible on Google Maps.

By the time I got up there to drive the route, the WV 44 extension was already open. I don't remember the CR being used as the connector.

It was only used for a year or two. The asphalt is still there but it appears the road itself has been abandoned off the state system.

Quote from: Alps on November 04, 2022, 06:01:47 PM
Exactly - 52 I believe still DOES follow the old route, but yet the signs.

Nope. The old route has officially been CR 252/57 since at least 2014. WVDOH moved the US 52 designation to the King Coal Highway at that time in its records. You can look at the 2014 Mingo County map on transportation.wv.gov to see this.

My recollection is that the signed route of US 52 was moved onto the King Coal Highway briefly when it first opened and that it was returned to the original route after a while, but I can't find photographic evidence to prove it. The old route is shorter and doesn't require turns to follow, so there was some logic to just keeping US 52 on it. I don't know why WVDOH would have changed their minds at this point and moved it (back) to the King Coal Highway. Perhaps the indefinite delay of plans to complete an extension of the King Coal Highway east of the existing segment made WVDOH decide it was time to just claim victory and move on.

rickmastfan67

What I really want to know is, is there now a small 'spur' of WV-44 below US-52, since it was signed south of it back in '16.  https://goo.gl/maps/EbN1wxDfAho2nwKBA

That's something that is kinda holding me up from putting this new change into TM.

Just hoping Google updates the rest of StreetView in that area to the new 2022 imagery soon to solve this question (unless somebody else field checks it first).

Bitmapped

Quote from: rickmastfan67 on November 05, 2022, 02:42:20 AM
What I really want to know is, is there now a small 'spur' of WV-44 below US-52, since it was signed south of it back in '16.  https://goo.gl/maps/EbN1wxDfAho2nwKBA

The stub is on WVDOH's inventory as WV 44. I don't know if it is signed any longer - based on the Street View photos at US 52, my guess is no. There's really no reason for it to be signed as WV 44 when one of the adjacent county routes could be extended over it.

rickmastfan67

Quote from: Bitmapped on November 05, 2022, 09:41:42 PM
Quote from: rickmastfan67 on November 05, 2022, 02:42:20 AM
What I really want to know is, is there now a small 'spur' of WV-44 below US-52, since it was signed south of it back in '16.  https://goo.gl/maps/EbN1wxDfAho2nwKBA

The stub is on WVDOH's inventory as WV 44. I don't know if it is signed any longer - based on the Street View photos at US 52, my guess is no. There's really no reason for it to be signed as WV 44 when one of the adjacent county routes could be extended over it.

Well, since it was signed previously, I have to wait till I have proof it isn't anymore sadly.  Especially since you said it's still listed as WV-44 in the WVDOH inventory.

I'm betting it is (but want proof), and WV-44 will once again be fully signed along the connector when US-52 is extended on King Coal once again in the future.

Dirt Roads

Quote from: rickmastfan67 on November 05, 2022, 02:42:20 AM
What I really want to know is, is there now a small 'spur' of WV-44 below US-52, since it was signed south of it back in '16.  https://goo.gl/maps/EbN1wxDfAho2nwKBA

Quote from: Bitmapped on November 05, 2022, 09:41:42 PM
The stub is on WVDOH's inventory as WV 44. I don't know if it is signed any longer - based on the Street View photos at US 52, my guess is no. There's really no reason for it to be signed as WV 44 when one of the adjacent county routes could be extended over it.

WVDOH is not completely opposed to signing an entire "road" as a state route (or US route) beyond its logical conclusion.  For instance, WV-279 continues past I-79 and beyond LSR-707 to the FBI Center, plus US-35 is signed beyond I-64 to Teays Valley Road (CR-33).

Mapmikey

Technically the piece south of I-64 is US 35 SPUR.

seicer

Government funding bill includes $7 million for the Coalfields Expressway

"A partial government funding bill passed by the U.S. Senate includes $7 million for the Coalfields Expressway project in Southwest Virginia..."

"The transportation component of the bill includes $7 million to the Virginia Department of Transportation to add additional lanes — or an expansion from a two-lane highway to a four-lane highway — to the 2.74-mile Poplar Creek Phase A section and the 2.07-mile Poplar Creek Phase B section of U.S. 121/460 within Corridor Q and the Coalfields Expressway in Buchanan County."

"In Virginia, the Coalfields Expressway is planned through Buchanan, Dickenson and Wise counties. While sections of the new four-lane corridor are still under construction in neighboring West Virginia in McDowell and Raleigh counties, work on the project has been largely stalled in recent years in Southwest Virginia."

--

I'm not sure what section this is, but Poplar Creek is near the new community sprouting up atop Poplar Gap: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vFgbNNVKkVxUXFhj8

Mapmikey

Quote from: seicer on November 03, 2023, 08:29:42 PM

I'm not sure what section this is, but Poplar Creek is near the new community sprouting up atop Poplar Gap: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vFgbNNVKkVxUXFhj8

It is 2 of the 3 segments that make up the US 121-460 overlay.

https://www.virginiadot.org/projects/resources/CoalfieldsExpressway/CFX_Project_Status-July_2023_acc07182023_PM.pdf

seicer

Gotcha. It connects that community at Poplar Gap to US 460. It looks to be under construction on Google Maps (Streetview, not aerials), and this money would fund the construction of the other two lanes to finish this segment out as a four-lane facility.

hbelkins

Quote from: seicer on November 03, 2023, 09:37:16 PM
Gotcha. It connects that community at Poplar Gap to US 460. It looks to be under construction on Google Maps (Streetview, not aerials), and this money would fund the construction of the other two lanes to finish this segment out as a four-lane facility.

I noticed a wide swath of hillside clearing to the left (west) of westbound US 460 north of Grundy during a trip up that way a few months ago. I suspect that's what's up.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

VTGoose

From today's Cardinal News:

Ribbon cut on first miles of Coalfields Expressway in Virginia

The completion of the first 2.57 miles of the Coalfields Expressway in Buchanan County was celebrated Thursday with a ribbon cutting marking the ceremonial opening of 8.7 miles of the U.S. 460/U.S. 121 Corridor Q road project from the Breaks Park Road area to Southern Gap.

The ceremony was hosted by the Virginia Department of Transportation at the Southern Gap Visitor Center.

"The ribbon cutting marks a significant milestone in the Coalfields Expressway project as it is the first mileage in the road to be completed and opened to travel by the public," said Jonathan Belcher, executive director of the Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority. "The CFX Authority has been working closely with VDOT and our state and federal legislators to acquire funding for the project and thanks to federal appropriations, was able to see a section of the road initially planned as two lanes extended to four. An additional $7 million federal appropriation has been proposed and is pending in the FY24 federal budget process which will allow additional four-laning to further advance the expressway project."

Two portions of Corridor Q, designated as U.S. 460, remain under construction and include the 2.74-mile Poplar Creek Phase A portion scheduled to open in late 2025 and the 2.07-mile Poplar Creek Phase B portion scheduled to open in late 2027.

Corridor Q, which extends 127.5 miles eastward from the Virginia/Kentucky state line near Breaks to Interstate 81, near Christiansburg, is part of the National Highway System and also part of the Appalachian Development Highway System.

https://cardinalnews.org/2023/11/10/ribbon-cut-on-first-miles-of-coalfields-expressway-in-virginia-more/
"Get in the fast lane, grandma!  The bingo game is ready to roll!"

hbelkins

Wonder how this will be signed? It didn't really have a number last time I was there. Kentucky's side is KY 3174 and Breaks Park Road is signed for both US 460 (right) and VA 80 (left). I gather that it doesn't tie into US 460 yet so will it be signed with a Virginia secondary route until US 460 is complete?

Might have to run up there to check it out soon since it's only a couple of hours from me.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

SP Cook

The story is oddly put together.  The section completed is part of the 460/121 multiplex.  460, or Corridor Q, has been under construction for decades and this is bringing us to the conclusion of this too long delayed wonderful project.  121, or the Coalfields Expressway, has not even been designed west of Welch in WV and, other than the 460/121 multiplex, exists as nothing more than some pencil marks on a map in VA, and is unlikely to ever actually be built in VA, or west of Welch in WV, if that. 

The tone should have been about the completion of Corridor Q, something that seems like it may actually happen.



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