West Virginia

[GCrites]

The song was written from inspiration from Montgomery County MD

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/co-writer-of-take-me-home-country-roads-dispels-myths-surrounding-songs-origins/2525010/?_osource=db_npd_nbc_wrc_eml_shr

If that's the case those country roads probably have subdivisions on them now.

[Mapmikey]

The song was written from inspiration from Montgomery County MD

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/co-writer-of-take-me-home-country-roads-dispels-myths-surrounding-songs-origins/2525010/?_osource=db_npd_nbc_wrc_eml_shr

If that's the case those country roads probably have subdivisions on them now.

The eastern half of Clopper Rd is developed but the western half and beyond is still quite rural.

[hbelkins]

The song was written from inspiration from Montgomery County MD

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/co-writer-of-take-me-home-country-roads-dispels-myths-surrounding-songs-origins/2525010/?_osource=db_npd_nbc_wrc_eml_shr

If that's the case those country roads probably have subdivisions on them now.

That's a Rush song, not a John Denver song.

[GCrites]

The song was written from inspiration from Montgomery County MD

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/co-writer-of-take-me-home-country-roads-dispels-myths-surrounding-songs-origins/2525010/?_osource=db_npd_nbc_wrc_eml_shr

If that's the case those country roads probably have subdivisions on them now.

The eastern half of Clopper Rd is developed but the western half and beyond is still quite rural.

Hmm, I don't know, it has a rail transit stop at the western end.

[Mapmikey]

The song was written from inspiration from Montgomery County MD

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/co-writer-of-take-me-home-country-roads-dispels-myths-surrounding-songs-origins/2525010/?_osource=db_npd_nbc_wrc_eml_shr

If that's the case those country roads probably have subdivisions on them now.

The eastern half of Clopper Rd is developed but the western half and beyond is still quite rural.

Hmm, I don't know, it has a rail transit stop at the western end.

As do all the small villages out that way. That one has about 20 parking spaces. The population of the zip code tabulation area (27 sq mi) that includes Boyds is under 10,000.

Look at the satellite view. Rural...

[Great Lakes Roads]

CHARLESTON INTERSTATE SIGNING RENOVATION 01

A sign replacement/upgrading project is coming to I-64 west of Charleston (from Institute to the I-64/I-77 junction)...

Project description: Work will consist of upgrading / installing new signing on I-64, US 119, and WV 61 from Institute to the I-64 / I-77 split.  There will be brush clearing at WB Institute 1 mile sign and EB Dunbar 1/2 mile sign.  All work will be within the existing right of way.  There will be no tree removal or work below OHW.

[hbelkins]

CHARLESTON INTERSTATE SIGNING RENOVATION 01

A sign replacement/upgrading project is coming to I-64 west of Charleston (from Institute to the I-64/I-77 junction)...

Project description: Work will consist of upgrading / installing new signing on I-64, US 119, and WV 61 from Institute to the I-64 / I-77 split.  There will be brush clearing at WB Institute 1 mile sign and EB Dunbar 1/2 mile sign.  All work will be within the existing right of way.  There will be no tree removal or work below OHW.

The existing signs aren't that old...

[wriddle082]

CHARLESTON INTERSTATE SIGNING RENOVATION 01

A sign replacement/upgrading project is coming to I-64 west of Charleston (from Institute to the I-64/I-77 junction)...

Project description: Work will consist of upgrading / installing new signing on I-64, US 119, and WV 61 from Institute to the I-64 / I-77 split.  There will be brush clearing at WB Institute 1 mile sign and EB Dunbar 1/2 mile sign.  All work will be within the existing right of way.  There will be no tree removal or work below OHW.

The existing signs aren't that old...

Yeah if they wanna replace signs that need it, they should try the WVTP.  Those signs are starting to show some age, especially the curve warning signs with flashing lights, most of which have non-functioning lights.

(Yeah, I know, WVTP isn't maintained by WVDOH, but still...)

[74/171FAN]

WV 115 and US 340 photos from my Charles Town area drive on 6/21/2026.

[Bitmapped]

CHARLESTON INTERSTATE SIGNING RENOVATION 01

A sign replacement/upgrading project is coming to I-64 west of Charleston (from Institute to the I-64/I-77 junction)...

Project description: Work will consist of upgrading / installing new signing on I-64, US 119, and WV 61 from Institute to the I-64 / I-77 split.  There will be brush clearing at WB Institute 1 mile sign and EB Dunbar 1/2 mile sign.  All work will be within the existing right of way.  There will be no tree removal or work below OHW.

The existing signs aren't that old...

Most of the signage is about 20 years old. The Clearview stuff was installed about 2009 and most of the mainline signage predates that, from like 2005 or so. It's due for a sign replacement.

[The_Ginger]

Some notes and observations from a trip to Institute via I-77, I-64, and WV 25:

—There is no evidence of any sign replacement in Charleston. I suspect that will soon change.

—A project we haven't discussed here is one to add high-mast lighting to the Ravenswood, Ripley, and Fairplain interchanges along I-77, exit numbers 146, 138, and 132 respectively. It's been going on for a while, at least a year. The latest development is that the poles have now been laid out beside their pedestals, as shown by my photos.


—WVDOH crews are starting to use wood signposts for construction signs. The below example and a green mini sign for Montrose Drive both use wood instead if the traditional metal.

[Dirt Roads]

—A project we haven't discussed here is one to add high-mast lighting to the Ravenswood, Ripley, and Fairplain interchanges along I-77, exit numbers 146, 138, and 132 respectively. It's been going on for a while, at least a year. The latest development is that the poles have now been laid out beside their pedestals, as shown by my photos.

There is now a common thread between these three exits.  The Fairplain exit is the traditional route for US-33 eastbound traffic coming from Charleston.  Probably irrelevant to the need to install freeway lighting, as the Fairplain exit is a hub for both numerous truck stops and gas stations, as well as the frontdoor to Cedar Lakes so-called Conference Center, home of the West Virginia Arts and Crafts Festival and numerous outdoors events throughout the year.

[Rothman]

—A project we haven't discussed here is one to add high-mast lighting to the Ravenswood, Ripley, and Fairplain interchanges along I-77, exit numbers 146, 138, and 132 respectively. It's been going on for a while, at least a year. The latest development is that the poles have now been laid out beside their pedestals, as shown by my photos.

There is now a common thread between these three exits.  The Fairplain exit is the traditional route for US-33 eastbound traffic coming from Charleston.  Probably irrelevant to the need to install freeway lighting, as the Fairplain exit is a hub for both numerous truck stops and gas stations, as well as the frontdoor to Cedar Lakes so-called Conference Center, home of the West Virginia Arts and Crafts Festival and numerous outdoors events throughout the year.

I'm not sure what your point is in regards to the lighting.

[SP Cook]

https://wvmetronews.com/2026/07/05/doh-awards-74-5m-contract-to-rehabilitate-fort-hill-bridge/

[Dirt Roads]

I'm not sure what your point is in regards to the lighting.

My apologies if you were trying to be serious here.  You would know better than I do, but my understanding is that for rural exits, freeway lighting is usually recommended after a sudden increase in accidents related to the gore or the merge areas.  In this case, a local state legislator back in 2022 recommended that the DOH conduct a study on the freeway lighting at the Fairplain and Ripley exits.  The report projected that engineering would be completed in 2023 and construction in 2024.  Freeway lighting at the Silverton (Ravenswood) exit and one further up at the Mineralwells exit have been added to the final project.

Historically, freeway lighting in rural sections of West Virginia was quite limited.  In depends on your definition of rural, but it is hard for me to imagine that any rural exit in West Virginia technically qualifies for freeway lighting funding (with the aforementioned exception of necessitated safety improvements).  That being said, West Virginia has a fondness for its continuous "expressway lighting" since the mid-1950s, whereby urban and suburban fourlanes get lined with street lighting (sometimes fancy, á la the WV-95 Camden Avenue Expressway in Parkersburg).  I-70 and also the US-250/WV-2 expressway in Wheeling has expressway lighting, as does the I-64/I-77/I-79 conflagration in Charleston and South Charleston.

I only know of three rural exits on the original Interstate system that were equipped with freeway lighting, and they too were consecutive: the Frametown, Corridor L and Gassaway/Sutton exits on I-79.  But nowadays, the next exit up (Flatwoods) is also equipped with lighting (albeit something more like streetlights at the gores).  Which takes me back around to one of my original thoughts on this subject: the Flatwoods Monster (Braxxie) that supposedly landed near where this exit was constructed.

[Bitmapped]

My apologies if you were trying to be serious here.  You would know better than I do, but my understanding is that for rural exits, freeway lighting is usually recommended after a sudden increase in accidents related to the gore or the merge areas.  In this case, a local state legislator back in 2022 recommended that the DOH conduct a study on the freeway lighting at the Fairplain and Ripley exits.  The report projected that engineering would be completed in 2023 and construction in 2024.  Freeway lighting at the Silverton (Ravenswood) exit and one further up at the Mineralwells exit have been added to the final project.

Historically, freeway lighting in rural sections of West Virginia was quite limited.  In depends on your definition of rural, but it is hard for me to imagine that any rural exit in West Virginia technically qualifies for freeway lighting funding (with the aforementioned exception of necessitated safety improvements).  That being said, West Virginia has a fondness for its continuous "expressway lighting" since the mid-1950s, whereby urban and suburban fourlanes get lined with street lighting (sometimes fancy, á la the WV-95 Camden Avenue Expressway in Parkersburg).  I-70 and also the US-250/WV-2 expressway in Wheeling has expressway lighting, as does the I-64/I-77/I-79 conflagration in Charleston and South Charleston.

I only know of three rural exits on the original Interstate system that were equipped with freeway lighting, and they too were consecutive: the Frametown, Corridor L and Gassaway/Sutton exits on I-79.  But nowadays, the next exit up (Flatwoods) is also equipped with lighting (albeit something more like streetlights at the gores).  Which takes me back around to one of my original thoughts on this subject: the Flatwoods Monster (Braxxie) that supposedly landed near where this exit was constructed.

Rural lighting is no longer rare in West Virginia. Lots of interchanges are now getting it, including in remote areas like Corridor H at WV 72 by Parsons and I-79 at Exit 91/US 19-Roanoke.

Continuous freeway lighting has also made it beyond the traditional in-town segments of freeways, with I-70 now being continuously lit from the Ohio state line to Exit 11 at Dallas Pike and US 50 from Wilsonburg Road to I-79 by Clarksburg. I-79 has continuous lighting for several miles near Fairmont and it appears that's also coming to I-79 near Morgantown.

WVDOH has developed a strong affinity for high mast lighting in the last 5 years or so. They've been going through and replacing existing continuous and interchange systems that had conventional light standards. The I-79 interchanges at Sutton, Flatwoods, and Burnsville have recently been upgraded to high mast lighting. Even the DOH Equipment Division yard at Buckhannon now has high mast lighting.

If the I-79 exit at WV 4/Frametown ever had lighting, it's been gone for 20+ years. The overhead signage for WV 4 in both directions didn't even have the mounts for lighting, and those cantilever sign structures replaced with ground-mounted ones during the last sign replacement cycle.

[Dirt Roads]

My apologies if you were trying to be serious here.  You would know better than I do, but my understanding is that for rural exits, freeway lighting is usually recommended after a sudden increase in accidents related to the gore or the merge areas.  In this case, a local state legislator back in 2022 recommended that the DOH conduct a study on the freeway lighting at the Fairplain and Ripley exits.  The report projected that engineering would be completed in 2023 and construction in 2024.  Freeway lighting at the Silverton (Ravenswood) exit and one further up at the Mineralwells exit have been added to the final project.

Historically, freeway lighting in rural sections of West Virginia was quite limited.  In depends on your definition of rural, but it is hard for me to imagine that any rural exit in West Virginia technically qualifies for freeway lighting funding (with the aforementioned exception of necessitated safety improvements).  That being said, West Virginia has a fondness for its continuous "expressway lighting" since the mid-1950s, whereby urban and suburban fourlanes get lined with street lighting (sometimes fancy, á la the WV-95 Camden Avenue Expressway in Parkersburg).  I-70 and also the US-250/WV-2 expressway in Wheeling has expressway lighting, as does the I-64/I-77/I-79 conflagration in Charleston and South Charleston.

I only know of three rural exits on the original Interstate system that were equipped with freeway lighting, and they too were consecutive: the Frametown, Corridor L and Gassaway/Sutton exits on I-79.  But nowadays, the next exit up (Flatwoods) is also equipped with lighting (albeit something more like streetlights at the gores).  Which takes me back around to one of my original thoughts on this subject: the Flatwoods Monster (Braxxie) that supposedly landed near where this exit was constructed.

Rural lighting is no longer rare in West Virginia. Lots of interchanges are now getting it, including in remote areas like Corridor H at WV 72 by Parsons and I-79 at Exit 91/US 19-Roanoke.

Continuous freeway lighting has also made it beyond the traditional in-town segments of freeways, with I-70 now being continuously lit from the Ohio state line to Exit 11 at Dallas Pike and US 50 from Wilsonburg Road to I-79 by Clarksburg. I-79 has continuous lighting for several miles near Fairmont and it appears that's also coming to I-79 near Morgantown.

WVDOH has developed a strong affinity for high mast lighting in the last 5 years or so. They've been going through and replacing existing continuous and interchange systems that had conventional light standards. The I-79 interchanges at Sutton, Flatwoods, and Burnsville have recently been upgraded to high mast lighting. Even the DOH Equipment Division yard at Buckhannon now has high mast lighting.

The original lighting at the Frametown, Corridor L and Gassaway/Sutton exits on I-79 also had high mast lighting, as did the rest areas at Orlando and Frametown (the rest area at Frametown stayed closed for several years until completion of the entire segment down to the Amma exit).  At both the Frametown and Gassaway/Sutton exits, there were also high mast lights installed at the end of each of the ramps down along WV-4.  It was quite impressive.

I failed to mention that early sections of I-79 through Fairmont were also equipped with continuous expressway lighting.  More on this later.

[Dirt Roads]

^^^
Also, when Corridor E first opened up, the Goshen Road exit of I-79 and the US-119 South Morgantown exit (Exit 1 of what was slated to become US-48, now I-68) both had freeway lighting.  If I recall correctly, the South Morgantown exit has high mast lighting but the Goshen Road exit had lighting that was the same as used on I-79 throughout Fairmont.  The first time I ever saw all of this was quite impressive; it was even more impressive driving back at night in the wee hours from the high school basketball championships at the Coliseum (we went to the finals three out of four years back then).

Rural lighting is no longer rare in West Virginia. Lots of interchanges are now getting it, including in remote areas like Corridor H at WV 72 by Parsons and I-79 at Exit 91/US 19-Roanoke.

Speaking of the concept of rural exits, when I-79 was first completed up through the South Morgantown exit on Corridor E, nobody in West Virginia considered any of that corridor to be rural.  WV-73 from Fairmont -to- Morgantown was considered by many to be the main route and one continuous row of small industrial businesses, shops and gas stations (with a healthy dose of homes intermixed).  Nowadays, it seems to have taken a rural flair (similar to what has happened on the original US-35 route over Tyler Mountain, now WV-62 heading into North Charleston).  Thus, I didn't consider any of that to be rural freeway lighting.

[Rothman]

^^^
Also, when Corridor E first opened up, the Goshen Road exit of I-79 and the US-119 South Morgantown exit (Exit 1 of what was slated to become US-48, now I-68) both had freeway lighting.  If I recall correctly, the South Morgantown exit has high mast lighting but the Goshen Road exit had lighting that was the same as used on I-79 throughout Fairmont.  The first time I ever saw all of this was quite impressive; it was even more impressive driving back at night in the wee hours from the high school basketball championships at the Coliseum (we went to the finals three out of four years back then).

Rural lighting is no longer rare in West Virginia. Lots of interchanges are now getting it, including in remote areas like Corridor H at WV 72 by Parsons and I-79 at Exit 91/US 19-Roanoke.

Speaking of the concept of rural exits, when I-79 was first completed up through the South Morgantown exit on Corridor E, nobody in West Virginia considered any of that corridor to be rural.  WV-73 from Fairmont -to- Morgantown was considered by many to be the main route and one continuous row of small industrial businesses, shops and gas stations (with a healthy dose of homes intermixed).  Nowadays, it seems to have taken a rural flair (similar to what has happened on the original US-35 route over Tyler Mountain, now WV-62 heading into North Charleston).  Thus, I didn't consider any of that to be rural freeway lighting.

*shrug*

All I know is that the I-79 corridor is much more built up than it was when my family started driving up and down it in the very early 1980s.

[Beltway]

All I know is that the I-79 corridor is much more built up than it was when my family started driving up and down it in the very early 1980s.

Doesn't look that way from the highway, but Google Maps shows a lot of development nearby.

[Dirt Roads]

All I know is that the I-79 corridor is much more built up than it was when my family started driving up and down it in the very early 1980s.

Doesn't look that way from the highway, but Google Maps shows a lot of development nearby.

So very true.  The I-79 corridor north from Anmoore/Clarksburg (and to some extent, even way further south starting at South Weston) is getting the feel of both an industrial corridor and a high-tech corridor.  But "back before the Interstates" (in this case, the late 1960s), WV-73 between Fairmont -and- South Morgantown was quite busy with its own late-1940s-style Mom-and-Pop industrial flair.  If you were headed to downtown Morgantown and the WVU main campus, you probably took US-19.  But if you were headed to the Mileground, you took WV-73.

By 1980 or so, the former WV-73 was starting to feel like it was more-and-more "away from town" (hence, more rural than semi-industrial).

Back to lighting, I had the incorrect notion that the freeway lighting for the section of I-79 from Frametown -to- Gassaway/Sutton was newer than I-79 south of South Morgantown.  The former was completed in 1971;  I-79 opened up to Exit 1 of Corridor E in 1973.  The Fairmont Bypass section with continuous expressway lighting was opened up in 1968.

[Bitmapped]

West Virginia got hit with heavy storms today. There's a lot of flooding along the US 33 corridor, including parts of I-79 and US 33 being impassible.

It looks like a tornado hit the Hi Carpenter Bridge over the Ohio River at St. Marys earlier this afternoon. It knocked an overhead sign bridge off its uprights. MetroNews has a photo of the dangling sign bridge at https://s3.us-east-005.backblazeb2.com/wvmn-s3/2026/07/IMG_8928-scaled.jpeg.

[plain]

West Virginia got hit with heavy storms today. There's a lot of flooding along the US 33 corridor, including parts of I-79 and US 33 being impassible.

It looks like a tornado hit the Hi Carpenter Bridge over the Ohio River at St. Marys earlier this afternoon. It knocked an overhead sign bridge off its uprights. MetroNews has a photo of the dangling sign bridge at https://s3.us-east-005.backblazeb2.com/wvmn-s3/2026/07/IMG_8928-scaled.jpeg.

Yikes!!

[The_Ginger]

West Virginia got hit with heavy storms today. There's a lot of flooding along the US 33 corridor, including parts of I-79 and US 33 being impassible.

It looks like a tornado hit the Hi Carpenter Bridge over the Ohio River at St. Marys earlier this afternoon. It knocked an overhead sign bridge off its uprights. MetroNews has a photo of the dangling sign bridge at https://s3.us-east-005.backblazeb2.com/wvmn-s3/2026/07/IMG_8928-scaled.jpeg.

That's not good. It looks like the gantry in question is located here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/qV8HStkmypra2nUV6.

There was hardly any rain or wind in Ravenswood, despite nearby towns getting hit hard.