I-66 Extension

[VaF]

Hello folks! This is Stuart (VaFreeways) and I am glad to have found this site so I can discuss transportation issues more in-depth. I am a relative "newbie" to this so I don't have a wealth of knowledge about state transportation infrastructures outside of Virginia (except Western Mass.).

At any rate... I've been recieving some questions about a proposed extension of I-66. I did some digging and the only state that seems to be anywhere near serious about building it is Kentucky. I'm almost quite certain that VDOT has zero interest in extending I-66 out at this time (there was nothing of note on their website about it). So I wonder if anybody else has heard of anything about plans to extend this interstate.

[froggie]

This is something from about 10-15 years ago.  And you are correct...Kentucky is the only state with a serious interest in the extension.  As you well know, VDOT isn't even keen on extending Corridor H to Strasburg...let alone building a freeway west of 81.

[VaF]

Speaking of I-66... the funding is in place and they advertise the contract within the next month or two perform a pavement rehab between I-495 and US-50. They said it was to be over the course of two paving seasons starting this summer. I hope they address the westbound lanes first because those are in much worse shape than the eastbound ones are. I noticed last year on the westbound lanes before the exit for US-50 they repaved a small section with this new type of concrete pavement as part of some program sponsored by the USDOT. I wonder if they're going to use the same stuff on the rest of the highway. Or do like they did in Richmond and convert it to asphalt.

[ShawnP]

As a native Kentuckian I would say I-66 would help Eastern Kentucky and Southern Kentucky. However no funding and enviromental problems around Somerset have all but stopped it.

[codyg1985]

What route would an I-66 west extention take across West Virginia to meet with Kentucky's I-66?

[froggie]

Prior to getting dropped, a VERY ROUGH corridor was Williamson/Beckley/US 19/I-79/Corridor H.  I've also seen maps in the past suggesting a US 119/I-79 routing instead.

[hbelkins]

What route would an I-66 west extention take across West Virginia to meet with Kentucky's I-66?

US 119. 

Actually, the proposals I've seen show a short extension eastward into West Virginia to meet with a relocated US 52 (King Coal Highway). The proposed I-66 would run east-west across Pike County to the south of Pikeville and the four-lane US 119. If one wanted to make the connection the logical route would be US 119 southwest from Charleston through Logan to Pikeville.

WV never seriously considered building an I-66 but Corridor H, I-79 and US 119 would be the de facto route.

[froggie]

HB, actually, the bulk of the planning for a "West Virginia I-66" followed King Coal to Coalfields to Beckley.  The US 119 routing was a secondary alternative.

[hbelkins]

HB, actually, the bulk of the planning for a "West Virginia I-66" followed King Coal to Coalfields to Beckley.  The US 119 routing was a secondary alternative.

How were they going to get to Beckley? Corridor H to I-79 to US 19?

[froggie]

In reality, there wasn't a hard and fast plan to get between Beckley and Strasburg.  The I-66 backers were riding heavily on the then-proposed TransAmerica corridor, which was specifically written in to connect Welch with Beckley.

[Henry]

This is something from about 10-15 years ago.  And you are correct...Kentucky is the only state with a serious interest in the extension.  As you well know, VDOT isn't even keen on extending Corridor H to Strasburg...let alone building a freeway west of 81.

I remember this proposal very well. AFAIK, there's been no interest in building it west of Wichita, if it ever gets that far. And VA is focusing on bringing US 48 back from the dead (look what I-68 did to it 22 years ago).

[jgb191]

Pardon me for bring back an old topic, but I was looking at the map.....

How feasible would it be to extend I-66 through W. VA (in Clarksburg and Parkersburg) and then end up in Columbus, OH?  That route would directly connect Columbus to our nation's capital, and give drivers a route between Chicago and Detroit to Washington.

[oscar]

Pardon me for bring back an old topic, but I was looking at the map.....

How feasible would it be to extend I-66 through W. VA (in Clarksburg and Parkersburg) and then end up in Columbus, OH?  That route would directly connect Columbus to our nation's capital, and give drivers a route between Chicago and Detroit to Washington.

I'll leave a more complete response to others, but it seems to me that it might be easier to do it as an I-68 extension rather than with I-66, which unlike I-68 would require a lot of new construction east of I-79.

The "Corridor H" project (US 48 extension) would slowly fill much of the gap between I-79 and I-81 for an I-66 extension.  But Virginia's lack of interest in upgrading its two-lane segment of US 48 would be a stumbling block.

[froggie]

Nevermind that Corridor H is being built to at-grade expressway standards, not freeway standard.

[jgb191]

I figured the I-66 would be a good extension because you already have a major four-lane highway (or so my atlas indicates) from Columbus, OH to Clarksburg, WV so just need to build a major connection from Clarksburg to the I-66/I-81 junction.  Could be done right?  Or am I underestimating the obstacle of the Appalachians?

[hbelkins]

I figured the I-66 would be a good extension because you already have a major four-lane highway (or so my atlas indicates) from Columbus, OH to Clarksburg, WV so just need to build a major connection from Clarksburg to the I-66/I-81 junction.  Could be done right?  Or am I underestimating the obstacle of the Appalachians?

Not really necessary, IMO. When it's done, US 48 (Corridor H) will be just fine. WV will post the speed limit at 65 mph and there will most likely be only those couple of traffic lights at Weston and one at Buckhannon to worry about. Even Virginia's two-lane part, which is about 15 miles, isn't that bad of a road and I would gladly drive a completed-in-WV Corridor H to the DC area instead of I-68 or I-64 any day.

In my experience, traffic volumes across WV and southern OH on US 50 and OH 32 are not that heavy to warrant a full freeway.