West Virginia

[roadman65]

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Standard,+WV&hl=en&ll=38.135463,-81.40777&spn=0.007376,0.015278&sll=38.137831,-81.44841&sspn=0.003721,0.007639&t=h&hnear=Standard,+Kanawha,+West+Virginia&z=16&layer=c&cbll=38.135463,-81.40777&panoid=KrG1ZVxldBzaNboV5bDS_w&cbp=12,220.4,,1,2.48

I thought I would start one for this state being that one has not yet been started.   I was trying to find out about the abandoned Memorial Tunnel on the WV Turnpike that was closed in 1987 when the Turnpike was brought up to interstate standards from its original Super Two status the years prior to that.  I found that the tunnel is around milepost 75, and it is visible to the south (west) side near Standard, WV.  It is also being used now by the Emergency Response Management for drills as they now own it.

What is most interesting is the portal is located high up in the side of the hill and not at the bottom like normal portals would be.  I am guessing that a viaduct once led up to the tunnel from its east end as the road visible in the above link is an added feature for ERM workers to access it, and if it were the original Turnpike alignment a 45 degree sharp turn would have been used.  However, aerial photos of the location show the  old roadbed leading in a straight line towards it.   It deviates from the current turnpike at a place about a half a mile to the east of the hill that the old pike went through literally where the new pike cuts through it.  Interestingly enough, the west portal is right next to mile marker 76 and is protected by a barbed wire fence on the  SB shoulder, but nonetheless 20 feet below the current turnpike grade.

I find this an interesting situation unlike the old PA Turnpike tunnels that are fully accessible from the ground and does have its one portal situated in the middle of the hillside either.  So I am to assume that there was a viaduct at its eastern approach to make it up to the middle?  I unfortunately did not get the pleasure of driving that road back in its day, as I did have a license then, but never got to WV until 1989, and then on the WV Turnpike in 94 long after it was widened and realigned in many places including the tunnel.  It would have been nice to accomplish, but many of us missed out on some good road things because of the year we were born or became of age to travel as an adult and this here is one of those for me.

[1995hoo]

There was a bridge, the Stanley Bender Bridge:



Do a Google search for "Memorial Tunnel" "West Virginia Turnpike" and you should be able to find other pictures and some articles.


Edited to add: More pictures of the bridge, and of its demolition, may be found here.

[SP Cook]

Bender, BTW, was a Medal Of Honor recipient from nearby Oak Hill.  The three largest bridges on the original turnpike were named for Chuck Yeager (of The Right Stuff fame, if you don't know), Bender, and Cornelius Charlton, who was a posthumous Medal Of Honor winner from Korea (and as far as I know the first public work in West Virginia to be named for a black person).

One of the main reasons for replacing the tunnel with a cut and valley fill was not so much just the tunnel, but the need to replace and twin the bridge as well.  The valley fill provided an easy place to put the cut waste material and saved the upkeep costs of both a tunnel and a bridge.

Bender lived to see the bridge demolished.  The name (and the plaque) were moved to a much shorter bridge down the road.  I always thought the cut and valley fill was impressive enough to be named itself.  Say "Memorial Tunnel - Bender Bridge Bypass" with a sign denoting the amount of material moved by the improvement.

[Alps]

Looks like the east portal still is very viewable - can't get up to it from the side road, but can get reasonably close, or go up the hill to the old EB turnpike on the east side of the side road, and get a nice vantage straight across.

[cpzilliacus]

Bender, BTW, was a Medal Of Honor recipient from nearby Oak Hill.  The three largest bridges on the original turnpike were named for Chuck Yeager (of The Right Stuff fame, if you don't know), Bender, and Cornelius Charlton, who was a posthumous Medal Of Honor winner from Korea (and as far as I know the first public work in West Virginia to be named for a black person).

West Virginia has an amazing number of war heroes (including Medal of Honor recipients), and WVDOT has (appropriately) memorialized many of them along the state's highway network.  Last year, I drove ADHS Corridor G (U.S. 119 from Pikeville, Kentucky to Charleston) for the first time, and there are numerous large bridges along the way, and most of them bear the name of a military hero.

[agentsteel53]

Chuck Yeager (of The Right Stuff fame, if you don't know)

that's kind of a strange way of putting it.  it's like saying that George Washington is most famous as a subject of certain Parson Weems books.

[SP Cook]

West Virginia has an amazing number of war heroes (including Medal of Honor recipients), and WVDOT has (appropriately) memorialized many of them along the state's highway network.  Last year, I drove ADHS Corridor G (U.S. 119 from Pikeville, Kentucky to Charleston) for the first time, and there are numerous large bridges along the way, and most of them bear the name of a military hero.

Yeah, the way that works is that the Legislature passes hundreds of Resolutions "requesting" the DOT name this or that after somebody.   The DOH (with absolutely no help from the WVSP, of course) is then expected to put up a sign and arrange an event  with a stage, stopped traffic and so on.  Most DOH districts have at least two such event per week, all summer and fall following the legislative session.  The Legislature provides no seperate appropriation, and has been known to name the same bridge multiple times.  DOH, sad to say, considers it a hassle, since, leaving out the cost of the signs, it ties up a whole work crew for the whole day.

Unfortunatly, it is very hard to easily reference who these people were.  Unfortunatly, in WV, legislative Resolutions are not Bills that become Laws and thus end up in the State Code.  Rather they just end up in a book called "Acts of the Legislature" that only prints a couple dozen copies per year (go to the college libraries and such).  I always thought it would be a nice project to put together a site with all the names and a caption of who the people were (and not all were military) but there is not even an index to the system, and the Resolutions do not always even tell you who the person was, so it would involve a lot of work.

[Bitmapped]

West Virginia has an amazing number of war heroes (including Medal of Honor recipients), and WVDOT has (appropriately) memorialized many of them along the state's highway network.  Last year, I drove ADHS Corridor G (U.S. 119 from Pikeville, Kentucky to Charleston) for the first time, and there are numerous large bridges along the way, and most of them bear the name of a military hero.

Yeah, the way that works is that the Legislature passes hundreds of Resolutions "requesting" the DOT name this or that after somebody.   The DOH (with absolutely no help from the WVSP, of course) is then expected to put up a sign and arrange an event  with a stage, stopped traffic and so on.  Most DOH districts have at least two such event per week, all summer and fall following the legislative session.  The Legislature provides no seperate appropriation, and has been known to name the same bridge multiple times.  DOH, sad to say, considers it a hassle, since, leaving out the cost of the signs, it ties up a whole work crew for the whole day.

Unfortunatly, it is very hard to easily reference who these people were.  Unfortunatly, in WV, legislative Resolutions are not Bills that become Laws and thus end up in the State Code.  Rather they just end up in a book called "Acts of the Legislature" that only prints a couple dozen copies per year (go to the college libraries and such).  I always thought it would be a nice project to put together a site with all the names and a caption of who the people were (and not all were military) but there is not even an index to the system, and the Resolutions do not always even tell you who the person was, so it would involve a lot of work.

All of the resolutions since 1993 are on the West Virginia Legislature's website at http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bill_status.cfm

[1995hoo]

Chuck Yeager (of The Right Stuff fame, if you don't know)

that's kind of a strange way of putting it.  it's like saying that George Washington is most famous as a subject of certain Parson Weems books.

Heh. These comments remind me of that episode of Friends when Phoebe commented that the movie Pride of the Yankees was about "that guy who got Lou Gehrig's Disease."

[cpzilliacus]

Yeah, the way that works is that the Legislature passes hundreds of Resolutions "requesting" the DOT name this or that after somebody.   The DOH (with absolutely no help from the WVSP, of course) is then expected to put up a sign and arrange an event  with a stage, stopped traffic and so on.  Most DOH districts have at least two such event per week, all summer and fall following the legislative session.  The Legislature provides no seperate appropriation, and has been known to name the same bridge multiple times.  DOH, sad to say, considers it a hassle, since, leaving out the cost of the signs, it ties up a whole work crew for the whole day.

Unfortunatly, it is very hard to easily reference who these people were.  Unfortunatly, in WV, legislative Resolutions are not Bills that become Laws and thus end up in the State Code.  Rather they just end up in a book called "Acts of the Legislature" that only prints a couple dozen copies per year (go to the college libraries and such).  I always thought it would be a nice project to put together a site with all the names and a caption of who the people were (and not all were military) but there is not even an index to the system, and the Resolutions do not always even tell you who the person was, so it would involve a lot of work.

S. P., thanks for that enlightenment.

Actually, in my fantasy world, WVDOT/DOH would get financial help from the U.S. Department of Defense for such ceremonies and even the signs, since that is who most of those honorees were working for when they committed the acts of valor.  Especially those persons that have received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Some of the names I have seen across the Mountaineer State are (apparently) West Virginia law enforcement officers, and I suppose the DOH has to self-fund those.

[froggie]

Actually, in my fantasy world, WVDOT/DOH would get financial help from the U.S. Department of Defense for such ceremonies and even the signs, since that is who most of those honorees were working for when they committed the acts of valor.  Especially those persons that have received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Gotta disagree here.  DoD shouldn't be the one footing the bill when it's the locals (usually the result of a local legislator) who want to name a bridge after such-and-such.  Even those who received the Congressional Medal of Honor (which is handed out by Congress, not DoD).

[Alps]

Actually, in my fantasy world, WVDOT/DOH would get financial help from the U.S. Department of Defense for such ceremonies and even the signs, since that is who most of those honorees were working for when they committed the acts of valor.  Especially those persons that have received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Gotta disagree here.  DoD shouldn't be the one footing the bill when it's the locals (usually the result of a local legislator) who want to name a bridge after such-and-such.  Even those who received the Congressional Medal of Honor (which is handed out by Congress, not DoD).

NO ONE should be footing these bills. You want something named after someone? You pay for it.

[cpzilliacus]

Gotta disagree here.  DoD shouldn't be the one footing the bill when it's the locals (usually the result of a local legislator) who want to name a bridge after such-and-such.  Even those who received the Congressional Medal of Honor (which is handed out by Congress, not DoD).

Disagree with your disagreement.  The person that served and worthy of such an honor was almost certainly working for the Department of Defense  (exception made for members of the U.S. Coast Guard which now comes under DHS), not Congress and not WVDOT.  Cost is relatively low (and yes, I believe that the DoD should foot the bill).

NO ONE should be footing these bills. You want something named after someone? You pay for it.

Also disagree. See above for why.

[seicer]

I wish we would stop naming bridges, highways, interchanges, sidewalks and other wasteful items after people who are living or dead. There are bridges that have been dedicated and then rededicated because a state cannot keep track of what it names; there are interchanges named after senators that had no role in their construction; there are former toll roads named after politicians who had no role in their design or building (and a name that was better fitted prior to the senator's involvement).

Naming infrastructure after people is nothing more than an excuse to make ourselves feel good about something that is purely trivial. We spend thousands of dollars on signs, many thousands more on getting these folks out there to dedicate these signs, and then more money rededicating things in a few decades. It doesn't reinforce the notion that we shouldn't be celebrating war, or honoring it - it is a topic that should be avoided, considering the loose associations that war has brought us over the past several decades that began with the Vietnam War and proceeding into the Iraq situation.

[oscar]

West Virginia seems better than other states at naming bridges, etc. for war heroes (hey, at least some of the wars were necessary and right), or patrolmen or other public service officials who would otherwise be unrecognized, than for random politicians.

Naming things for still-living people raises issues of its own (as those of us around for the Richard M. Nixon Freeway can tell you), which have been amply discussed elsewhere on this forum. 

[hbelkins]

This all reminds me. Back when US 23 was just US 23 (and US 19W) south of Johnson City, Tenn., just about every bridge was named for someone. Tennessee took most, if not all, of those signs down when the road became I-26, saying that the feds required it. Tell that to every other state that has bridges on the interstates named after people.

[seicer]

Oscar - I think Robert C. Byrd comes to mind

I think the list stands at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_named_after_Robert_Byrd

Robert C. Byrd Appalachian Highway System in West Virginia
Robert C. Byrd Bridge (x2)
Robert C. Byrd Drive
Robert C. Byrd Expressway
Robert C. Byrd Freeway
Robert C. Byrd Highway
Robert C. Byrd Interchange (x2)

And the very short lived Robert C. Byrd Sidewalk.

[Pete from Boston]

Oscar - I think Robert C. Byrd comes to mind

I think the list stands at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_named_after_Robert_Byrd

Robert C. Byrd Appalachian Highway System in West Virginia
Robert C. Byrd Bridge (x2)
Robert C. Byrd Drive
Robert C. Byrd Expressway
Robert C. Byrd Freeway
Robert C. Byrd Highway
Robert C. Byrd Interchange (x2)

And the very short lived Robert C. Byrd Sidewalk.

I have made it a point to take photos of mentions of Byrd on my trips through West Virginia, and there are so many it got tiresome.  The best, by far, was the glass case in the West Virginia Cultural Center in Charleston containing the record "Robert C. Byrd, Mountain Fiddler."

[SP Cook]

Not all of the namings are military, and (which is not to say everyone's service in not heroic) many of the military namings are not people who would be best know for their military service.  Some are pols or others who were in the military for a couple of years, came home and did whatever, but the military rank is included in the signage.  There are bridges, et al, named for televanglists, sportscasters, weathermen, professors, "activists", lawyers, ball coaches, HS principals, and more.

I will say that the Turnpike has a bridge named for two workers killed nearby.  I will brag on Virginia, which has a memorial to all highway workers killed in state service at a scenic overlook on 64 east of Charlottesville.  Sometimes people think cops are the only government employees that risk their lives. 

I will say as well that the new 35 has a bridge named for a trooper killed in an MVA on the old 35 deathroad.  Not in pursuit.  Not shot.  Not working a wreck.  One of the ten to twenty people killed on the 35 deathroad that year.  What of the others?  Why is their loss less important?

As to Byrd, IMHO, the origin of this can be explained in his lack of sons and virtually non-existant relationship with his daughters.  Which led to a personal narcisicm without end.  I assure you that virtually none of these things are actually called Byrd this or that in ordinary use by ordinary people. 

I will note this one, which is fairly new, the Turnpike has signed the 39th Parallel, which is just north of Beckley, as a tribute to the Korean War.  I was only vaguely aware of its location.  Have any other states done this?

[hbelkins]

The I-64 Big Sandy River bridge was named for two workers killed there when the bridge was being rehabbed in the 1990s. WV-standard signage is on the KY side of the bridge.

[1995hoo]

Actually, in my fantasy world, WVDOT/DOH would get financial help from the U.S. Department of Defense for such ceremonies and even the signs, since that is who most of those honorees were working for when they committed the acts of valor.  Especially those persons that have received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Gotta disagree here.  DoD shouldn't be the one footing the bill when it's the locals (usually the result of a local legislator) who want to name a bridge after such-and-such.  Even those who received the Congressional Medal of Honor (which is handed out by Congress, not DoD).

As rare as it seems to be that we agree on something, I think froggie is right on this one. If the state government, or a local government, chooses to name a bridge or interchange or whatever after someone, that government is the one that should pay for it. If, however, the feds impose the naming, then the feds should pay for it. An example of the latter would be the Metrorail stop at Reagan Airport. But there's no indication that the West Virginia bridges and such were named for these individuals at the behest of the Defense Department.

[oscar]

If, however, the feds impose the naming, then the feds should pay for it. An example of the latter would be the Metrorail stop at Reagan Airport.

Especially since Congress required the full name to be included in the Metro stop -- "Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport" -- which ran up the cost of the rename.  VDOT's BGSes go with the more efficient "Reagan National Airport", which is what people usually call the airport if they include "Reagan" at all (often they don't).

Arlington County was not happy about having the station name change crammed down its throat (since the airport is in the county, it normally would've been able to veto the change).  I remember at least one train operator intoning the full station name as the train approached the airport, slowly and with more than a hint of sarcasm. 

[SP Cook]

As to airports, which is mostly OT for WV, as we have the worst air service in the country, thanks to our local pols mostly, the renaming of National as Reagan National by Congress (which owns the DC airport system) set off a spate of renamnings, and since most airports are run by cities, and most cities are run by democrats, all around the country, mostly after democrat politicians.  The airlines, especially US Airways, carefully (its probably in the manual) always says the full name of every airport they go to. I love being welcomed to "the Rockefeller Terminal at Yeager Airport in Charleston, WV" or "Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Washington International Airport" and such.  Give me a break.

But you know what?  As with Byrd, nobody calls the local airport after the politicians or other too cute names (Port Columbus, Sky Harbor, etc).  In the vast majority of places where there is no reason to differenciate, "the airport" surfices on the ground, and the city name is used in the air.  As "Bob flew to Knoxville via Atlanta and then home to New Orleans" not "Bob flew to McGhee Tyson Int'l Airport via Hartsfield-Jackson In't Airport and then back home to Louis Armstrong Int'l Airport."  And Bob said to the cab driver "take me to the airport" not "Bob said "take me to Louis Armstrong Int'l Airport".  People only use names when a metro area has multiple airports.  Which in the US is NYC, Houston, LA (to a degree), Chicago, and Dallas (to a degree).  And DC, where it is still possible to tell a person's politics by the use of "Reagan National" or "National Airport". 

Anyway in airline insider speak, Charleston WV is called "Charley West" and Charleston SC is called "Charley South".  When you check in it is important to say "Charleston West Virginia C R W".  CRW being the airport code.   Otherwise you, or your bags, are just as likely to end up in South Carolina.  It happens often enough that both airports have a printed brochure to give to those thus lost.   

Oddly, Charleston, WV has a radio and TV station WCHS, while CHS is the airport code for the other Charleston.

[1995hoo]

Actually, in my fantasy world, WVDOT/DOH would get financial help from the U.S. Department of Defense for such ceremonies and even the signs, since that is who most of those honorees were working for when they committed the acts of valor.  Especially those persons that have received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Gotta disagree here.  DoD shouldn't be the one footing the bill when it's the locals (usually the result of a local legislator) who want to name a bridge after such-and-such.  Even those who received the Congressional Medal of Honor (which is handed out by Congress, not DoD).

As rare as it seems to be that we agree on something, I think froggie is right on this one. If the state government, or a local government, chooses to name a bridge or interchange or whatever after someone, that government is the one that should pay for it. If, however, the feds impose the naming, then the feds should pay for it. An example of the latter would be the Metrorail stop at Reagan Airport. But there's no indication that the West Virginia bridges and such were named for these individuals at the behest of the Defense Department.

I was thinking about this further yesterday while driving to Pennsylvania because I noted Maryland had a fair number of signs up dedicating overpasses or segments of road, typically to fallen state troopers. I think part of the reason why I think the state should pay if the state chooses to post a memorial designation is that it opens up too much of a can of worms if the state can unilaterally force the federal agency to spend money simply because the state legislators voted for a name.

[corco]

But you know what?  As with Byrd, nobody calls the local airport after the politicians or other too cute names (Port Columbus, Sky Harbor, etc). 

Actually, a lot of Arizonans call the Phoenix Airport "Sky Harbor."