Coalfields Expressway

[hbelkins]

The Slab Fork-Mullens section of the Coalfields Expressway should have been built last, if at all. It duplicates WV 54, which was constructed circa 1958-1965 and already provided a good high speed route to Mullens.

Yes, but wasn't this section essentially 2 contracts, which allowed for the extraction of the coal in the first contract (at a discount) and the "paving" contract was let years later?

You're thinking of the King Coal Highway/US 52, aren't you? Specifically, the section between WV 44 and Gilbert that has been under construction for nearly 20 years?

[Bitmapped]

The Slab Fork-Mullens section of the Coalfields Expressway should have been built last, if at all. It duplicates WV 54, which was constructed circa 1958-1965 and already provided a good high speed route to Mullens.

Yes, but wasn't this section essentially 2 contracts, which allowed for the extraction of the coal in the first contract (at a discount) and the "paving" contract was let years later?

You're thinking of the King Coal Highway/US 52, aren't you? Specifically, the section between WV 44 and Gilbert that has been under construction for nearly 20 years?

Yes, that part of the King Coal Highway was built using a roadbed left over from mining. The coal company saved money from not having to reconstruct the land to the approximate original contour, and WVDOH saved somewhat from needing to do less earthmoving although that Mingo County section has had significant problems with improper compaction and settling.

WVDOH's construction of the Coalfields Expressway is being handled differently. The design is intended to follow coal seams to the extent that it's financially advantageous to do so, but WVDOH is doing the construction itself rather than as part of a public-private partnership with a coal company. DOH is building on its own timetable.

It's standard practice for WVDOH to separate grade-and-drain contracts from paving when building new alignments.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Much of the existing Coalfields Expressway is now on Google Street View.

[Henry]

Much of the existing Coalfields Expressway is now on Google Street View.

The first thing I noticed was that it has a VA 460 shield. Major blunder on the sign builder's part!

[Mapmikey]

Much of the existing Coalfields Expressway is now on Google Street View.

The first thing I noticed was that it has a VA 460 shield. Major blunder on the sign builder's part!

This is not an error.  VDOT assigned this as VA 460.

[WillWeaverRVA]

Much of the existing Coalfields Expressway is now on Google Street View.

The first thing I noticed was that it has a VA 460 shield. Major blunder on the sign builder's part!

Nope, that's not an error. It's VA 460 until it's finished.

[Bitmapped]

West Virginia is, surprisingly, continuing to push ahead with Coalfields Expressway construction despite its financial problems. A 3-mile section from the Twin Falls State Park connector to the Mullens connector to WV 10/WV 16 is now out for bid. This section will actually leave an over 5-mile gap immediately west of Mullens.

The current STIP lists the estimated cost of this section at $100M. It doesn't have any major bridges. The Twin Falls-Mullens section has some major major bridges and is likely to cost several hundred million dollars, so I don't know that it will be built anytime soon.

[seicer]

The 9.6-mile Pineville Connector to Twin Falls Connector section of the Coalfields Expressway (SR 121/future US 121) in Wyoming County is out to bid on September 9. The project's target completion date is June 29, 2029. Exhibit 2 (Environmental) provides background on this project.

This encompasses Section 7, which extends from the end of the four-lane Coalfields Expressway at Mullens to the Twin Falls Access Road and includes a connector to Mullens, and Section 8, which extends from the Twin Falls Access Road to WV 10 at Pineville and the Twin Falls Access Road.

The Mullens Connector, which I opposed because it was redundant with a similar connector on the existing highway, is explained in the Environmental document: "The Mullens Connector was added due to the construction sequencing to allow access to the four-lane highway until the Mullens bridge is constructed."

[Bitmapped]

The 9.6-mile Pineville Connector to Twin Falls Connector section of the Coalfields Expressway (SR 121/future US 121) in Wyoming County is out to bid on September 9. The project's target completion date is June 29, 2029. Exhibit 2 (Environmental) provides background on this project.

This encompasses Section 7, which extends from the end of the four-lane Coalfields Expressway at Mullens to the Twin Falls Access Road and includes a connector to Mullens, and Section 8, which extends from the Twin Falls Access Road to WV 10 at Pineville and the Twin Falls Access Road.

The letting does not include Section 7, the mainline from the Twin Falls Connector to Mullens. The name of the project itself, Pineville Connector to Twin Falls Connector, gives that away.

The contract proposal lists Contract/Section 8 (mainline Pineville Connector to Twin Falls Connector) and Contract/Section 9 (Twin Falls Connector itself). NPDES permits are only provided for Sections 8 and 9. There is not a NPDES permit that corresponds with the mainline between the Twin Falls Connector and Mullens.

[WillWeaverRVA]

More of the Virginia segment of the Coalfields Expressway has been added to Google Street View, so the entirety of the road that's open to the public is now there. It's signed as a VA 460/US 121 concurrency at SR 744, but there is no other US 121 signage up yet.

It also features quite possibly the only "watch for elk" sign I've ever seen in Virginia.

[seicer]

On my last trip on that highway, I spotted six elk along the right-of-way. The old mountaintop removal properties are prime spots for elk viewing.

[plain]

More of the Virginia segment of the Coalfields Expressway has been added to Google Street View, so the entirety of the road that's open to the public is now there. It's signed as a VA 460/US 121 concurrency at SR 744, but there is no other US 121 signage up yet.

It also features quite possibly the only "watch for elk" sign I've ever seen in Virginia.

There's another one here, complete with a warning beacon and a NEXT 6 MILES sign

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9ciLGt45eiwJc1Fy6?g_st=ac

[Beltway]

In June 2024, the Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority formally applied to the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to include the Coalfields Expressway (US-121) in the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS).

Currently, only the segments overlapping with U.S. Route 460, designated as Corridor Q, are part of the ADHS. The application seeks to add the remaining Virginia portions of US-121, as well as designate the full corridor as Corridor Y, a new ADHS corridor. This would make the route eligible for federal ARC funding aimed at improving transportation and economic development in Appalachia.

The Coalfields Expressway is a long-planned corridor connecting Beckley, West Virginia, to U.S. 23 in Slate, Virginia. It is intended to improve access to jobs, healthcare, and commerce in historically underserved coalfield communities. While Virginia has taken the lead in submitting a formal ADHS application, West Virginia continues to advance its segments of the expressway, including recent construction bids, though a parallel ADHS application from WV has not been publicly confirmed.

If approved, Corridor Y designation would accelerate construction timelines, enhance regional mobility, and integrate the expressway into the broader Appalachian infrastructure network. The move reflects a coordinated effort to revitalize the region through strategic infrastructure investment and federal-state collaboration.

Per recent research I see that there never has been a deadline or sunset point for building the ADHS system that was established in 1965. Or any rule that new corridors cannot be added.

Some corridors were completed in the 1970s or 1980s and some are still incomplete. US-460 / Corridor Q will finally be completed in 2027.

Corridor H in West Virginia is probably looking at 2035 completion. Wardensville to Virgina border should be under construction in 2026. Once that happens the Virginia priority should jump way up.

Once construction on Corridor H reaches the Virginia border, expected around 2026, Virginia's transportation priorities will likely shift dramatically. The remaining segment from the state line to I-81 near Strasburg will become a glaring gap in the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS), especially as West Virginia nears full completion by 2035. That unfinished stretch will no longer be theoretical, it will be the missing link in a high-functioning corridor.

What elevates its urgency is location: Virginia's segment would connect directly to the Corridor H I-66 extension (albeit an expressway and not full freeway) and the Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal, a key logistics hub for freight moving between the Port of Virginia and the Midwest. Once West Virginia builds to the border, Virginia's segment becomes a strategic connector, not just for regional mobility, but for national freight and economic development.

Expect a priority jump in planning, environmental review, and funding alignment. The visibility of a completed Corridor H to the border will spotlight Virginia's gap and trigger pressure from local governments, freight stakeholders, and ARC planners to close the gap. In short: once WV builds to the line, Virginia's segment becomes not just important, it becomes essential.

Some recent ADHS projects have received 100% federal aid funding from that dedicated fund, outside of normal federal aid allocations to the state. This segment could be one of them.