Corridor D

Last updated

OH-32.svg US 50.svg
Corridor D
Route information
Major junctions
West end I-275.svg I-275 near Cincinnati, OH
  US 23.svg US 23/Corr. C near Piketon, OH
I-77.svg I-77 near Parkersburg, WV
East end I-79.svg I-79 near Clarksburg, WV
Highway system

In the United States, Corridor D is part of the Appalachian Development Highway System. In Ohio, it follows State Route 32 from the eastern Cincinnati suburbs until a point west of Albany, where it becomes concurrent with U.S. Route 50. After crossing into West Virginia, it follows U.S. Route 50 until the Interstate 79 interchange in Clarksburg.

Contents

The West Virginia portion was constructed during 1967–1977, and the Ohio portion during 2000–2008. ADHS Funding is separate from other Federal Highway funds.

Route description

Ohio

Corridor D begins at the western edge of the Appalachian Regional Commission area at the Hamilton County–Clermont County border east of Cincinnati. It intersects Interstate 275, Cincinnati's beltway, and then U.S. Route 68 and U.S. Route 62 as it crosses the Ohio glacial till plain.

Corridor D enters the Allegheny Plateau east of Peebles, crossing the Portage Escarpment near the summit of Tener Mountain before descending into the Scioto River valley and intersecting U.S. Route 23 (Corridor C). After about 25 miles (40 km) it passes through Jackson, where it is intersected by U.S. Route 35. After another 20 miles (32 km) it converges with U.S. Route 50; the two routes are concurrent for the remainder of the segment through Ohio.

It reaches Athens after traveling northeastward for about 12 miles (19 km). It then travels southeast for about 15 miles (24 km) roughly paralleling the Hocking River, and then 15 miles (24 km) northeast as it approaches the Ohio River. The highway crosses the Ohio River on the Blennerhassett Island Bridge just west of Belpre.

West Virginia

Corridor D crosses the Little Kanawha River and interchanges with Interstate 77 near Parkersburg shortly after entering West Virginia. It continues to ascend the Allegheny Plateau through rugged terrain. In Clarksburg, it crosses the West Fork River and ends at the Interstate 79 interchange, with U.S. Route 50 continuing eastward as a two-lane mountain road.

History

Blennerhassett Island Bridge near Parkersburg, WV. Blennerhassett Bridge 033.jpg
Blennerhassett Island Bridge near Parkersburg, WV.
Corridor D ramp marker in Parkersburg, West Virginia showing the symbol WVDOH uses for Appalachian Corridor mile and ramp markers. Corridor D.jpg
Corridor D ramp marker in Parkersburg, West Virginia showing the symbol WVDOH uses for Appalachian Corridor mile and ramp markers.

One of the original 23 corridors, Corridor D (U.S. Highway 50) was to provide access to major urban centers along the east coast from the midwest, while creating economic development for northwest and North-Central West Virginia and southeast Ohio.

The Blennerhassett Island Bridge, a tied-arch bridge, opened to traffic on June 13, 2008, over the Ohio River thus completing Corridor D in its entirety.

West Virginia

The earliest segment of Corridor D, or US 50, to open in West Virginia was a six-mile (10 km) segment in 1967 [1] from an isolated point near Sherwood in Doddridge County (MP 15) to WV 23 in Salem in Harrison County (MP 1.52). Two years later, a segment from Salem east to CR 11 at Wolf Summit (MP 7) opened to traffic.

In 1970, major portions of Corridor D opened to traffic: [1]

  1. A brief segment in Wood County from MP 8 to MP 11 near Murphytown.
  2. A lengthy segment in Wood County from WV 31 near Deerwalk (MP 15.41) to MP 4 at Nutter Farm in Ritchie County near North Bend State Park, a distance of seven miles (11 km).
  3. A segment of US 50 in Ritchie County at WV 74 at Pennsboro (MP 17) east to Doddridge County at West Union (MP 5.5).

Most of Corridor D opened a year later. [1]

  1. A segment four-lane upgrade of US 50 opened in Wood County from Interstate 77 east of Parkersburg (MP 4) to MP 8 near Murphytown.
  2. A segment within Wood County from MP 11 near Murphytown to Sandhill (MP 15.41). This connected the disjointed segments between #1 and #2 listed above.
  3. The majority of Ritchie County's US 50 segment opened from MP 4 near North Bend State Park to WV 74 at Pennsboro (MP 17). This connected the disjointed segments between #2 and #3 listed above.
  4. A segment in Doddridge County from MP 5.52 near West Union east to WV 23 near Salem (MP 15).

In 1974, [1] a segment of Corridor D in Harrison County opened to traffic from CR 11 at Wolf Summit (MP 7) to the CR 11 at Wilsonburg (MP 11). In 1977, this was extended eastward to WV 20 at Montpelier east of Clarksburg (MP 15.5), and a year later, to Interstate 79 west of Bridgeport (MP 18.25).

Completion into Ohio

Construction began in 2000 with the start of the Godbey Fields complex in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The $6.5 million 40-acre (160,000 m2) athletic complex was finished in 2001. [2] Several contracts were let soon after, which included grading and drainage for part of Corridor D, a new Corning Glass Bridge for WV 47, and another span that would carry US 50 over WV 47 and 7th Street in Parkersburg. [3]

On September 8, 2003, the first segment of Corridor D opened. The 1.9-mile (3.1 km) four-lane controlled-access highway stretched from Interstate 77 to WV 47 in Parkersburg. [4]

On September 20, 2004, the second portion of Corridor D opened from WV 47 to WV 14, which included the construction of a Little Kanawha River crossing. With this segment open to traffic, 1/3 of the Parkersburg Corridor D segment was complete. [5]

On March 9, 2005, a tied arch Ohio River crossing design was chosen from four designs as it was the "most economical and least intrusive on the environment of Blennerhassett Island. The $120 million eight-span bridge will include an 880-foot (270 m) tied arch over the main channel of the Ohio River and will stretch for 4,009 feet (1,222 m) from both abutments with a 69 feet (21 m) vertical clearance. It is being constructed from weathering steel and will connect WV 892 to OH 618. At the time of its contract letting in April 2005, it was the largest single highway contract in West Virginia's history. The bridge is expected to be complete in 2007. [6] [7]

On July 12, 2005, it was announced that the final Corridor D contract in West Virginia was to be awarded. This would complete paving and signing operations of 1.32 miles (2.12 km) from the WV 892, WV 95, and WV 68 interchange to River Hill Road. In Ohio, a single contract was announced that would connect the Ohio River span to U.S. Route 50 which would be completed in 2007. [8]

In August 2005, Corridor D was opened to traffic from WV 14 to WV 68. [8]

In mid-September 2005, Corridor D was completed from Fifth Street in Parkersburg to WV 892, WV 95, and WV 68. This segment was constructed under five contracts and required the completion of ten bridges. [9]

As of April 23, 2006, construction on the Corridor D mainlines from Interstate 77 to WV 892 is all but complete. The last segment, from WV 892 to the WV 892, WV 95, and WV 68 interchange, was slated to open in August. [10]

On August 31, 2006, it was announced that from WV 892/WV 68 to the WV 892 interchange, Corridor D was open to traffic. [11] This 1.32-mile (2.12 km) four-lane divided freeway is the final roadway section of the corridor from Clarksburg and Cincinnati without the Ohio River crossing.

The last Corridor D project, the Blennerhasset Bridge crossing the Ohio River, was opened on June 13, 2008.

There are long-range plans to expand the diamond interchange at Interstate 77 into a fully directional interchange at a cost of $60 million. It is ranked 75th. [12]

Notes

  • The official sign for Corridor D in West Virginia, while not utilized on full-sized shields, is a blue background shield with a West Virginia state outline in white with a blue letter in the center.
  • In late 2006, there were recent additions of mile markers every 1/2 mile along Corridor D between Parkersburg and Clarksburg. These mile markers feature the official sign for Corridor D as described above.

See also

Related Research Articles

U.S. Route 22 is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at US 27, US 42, US 127, and US 52 to Newark, New Jersey, at U.S. Route 1/9 in the Newark Airport Interchange.

Interstate 68 (I-68) is a 112.9-mile (181.7 km) Interstate Highway in the U.S. states of West Virginia and Maryland, connecting I-79 in Morgantown, West Virginia, to I-70 in Hancock, Maryland. I-68 is also Corridor E of the Appalachian Development Highway System. From 1965 until the freeway's construction was completed in 1991, it was designated as U.S. Route 48 (US 48). In Maryland, the highway is known as the National Freeway, an homage to the historic National Road, which I-68 parallels between Keysers Ridge and Hancock. The freeway mainly spans rural areas and crosses numerous mountain ridges along its route. A road cut at Sideling Hill exposed geological features of the mountain and has become a tourist attraction.

Interstate 79 (I-79) is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States, designated from I-77 in Charleston, West Virginia to Pennsylvania Route 5 and PA 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is a primary thoroughfare through western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and makes up part of an important corridor to Buffalo, New York, and the border with Canada. Major metropolitan areas connected by I-79 include Charleston and Morgantown in West Virginia, and Pittsburgh, and Erie in Pennsylvania. In West Virginia, I-79 is known as the Jennings Randolph Expressway, named for Jennings Randolph. In the three most northern counties it is signed as part of the High Tech Corridor. For most of its Pennsylvania stretch, it is known as the Raymond P. Shafer Highway, named for Raymond P. Shafer.

Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the old U.S. Route 21 between Cleveland, Ohio, and Columbia, South Carolina, as an important north–south corridor through the middle Appalachians. The southern terminus of Interstate 77 is in Columbia at the junction with Interstate 26. The northern terminus is in Cleveland at the junction with Interstate 90. Other major cities that I-77 connects to include Charlotte; Charleston, West Virginia and Akron, Ohio. The East River Mountain Tunnel, connecting Virginia and West Virginia, is one of only two instances in the United States where a mountain road tunnel crosses a state line. The other is the Cumberland Gap Tunnel, connecting Tennessee and Kentucky. I-77 is a route to the southern United States for those traveling from the Great Lakes region.

U.S. Route 50 Highway in the United States

U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching 3,073 miles (4,946 km) from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic Ocean. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near the Pacific Ocean. The Interstates were constructed later and are mostly separate from this route. It generally serves a corridor south of I-70 and I-80 and north of I-64 and I-40.

U.S. Route 35

U.S. Route 35 (US 35) is a United States Highway that runs southeast–northwest for approximately 412 miles (663 km) from the western suburbs of Charleston, West Virginia to northern Indiana. Although the highway is physically southeast–northwest, it is nominally north–south. The highway's southern terminus is in Teays Valley, West Virginia, near Scott Depot, at Interstate 64 (I-64). Its northern terminus is near Michigan City, Indiana, at US 20. As of 2020, the final West Virginia portion of the highway is being expanded to four lanes, mostly along a completely new route. The Ohio portion has been upgraded to a four-lane highway/freeway between the West Virginia state line and Trotwood, west of Dayton.

U.S. Route 119 (US 119) is a spur of US 19. It is a north–south route that was an original United States highway of 1926. It is Corridor G of the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) east of US 23 and KY 80 in Kentucky to Interstate 64 at Charleston, West Virginia.

Ohio State Route 32

State Route 32, also known as SR 32 and the James A. Rhodes Appalachian Highway, is a major east–west highway across the southern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is the eighth longest state route in Ohio. It leads from eastern Cincinnati, near the border between the neighborhoods of Linwood, Mount Lookout, and Columbia-Tusculum, to the Parkersburg-Belpre Bridge across the Ohio River in Belpre. Except in Belpre, leading up to the bridge into West Virginia, the entire route outside Cincinnati's beltway is a high-speed four-lane divided highway, forming the Ohio portion of Corridor D of the Appalachian Development Highway System. This corridor continues east across the Ohio River over the Blennerhassett Island Bridge.

The Northwestern Turnpike is a historic road in West Virginia, important for being historically one of the major roads crossing the Appalachians, financed by the Virginia Board of Public Works in the 1830s. In modern times, west of Winchester, Virginia, U.S. Route 50 follows the path of the Northwestern Turnpike into West Virginia, whose major Corridor D project follows the western section of the original Northwestern Turnpike.

U.S. Route 48 (US 48), also known as the incomplete Corridor H of the Appalachian Development Highway System, extends from Interstate 79 (I-79) in Weston, West Virginia eastward across the crest of the Allegheny Mountains to I-81 in Strasburg, Virginia. It is planned to extend 157 miles (253 km) from west northern Virginia to central West Virginia.

U.S. Route 50 in West Virginia

U.S. Route 50 in West Virginia runs from the border with Ohio to Virginia, passing briefly through Garrett County, Maryland, and following the Northwestern Turnpike. Prior to the U.S. Highway System it was West Virginia Route 1 and in the 1930s, the road was not finished in Maryland. Today the section of US 50 from Clarksburg to Parkersburg on the Ohio River is part of Corridor D of the Appalachian Development Highway System.

U.S. Route 52 in West Virginia

U.S. Route 52 (US 52) skirts the western fringes of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It runs from the Virginia state line near Bluefield, where it is concurrent with Interstate 77 (I-77), in a general northwest and north direction to I-64 at Kenova. There it turns east, overlapping I-64 for five miles (8.0 km) before splitting off onto the West Huntington Expressway into Ohio via the West Huntington Bridge. Despite having an even number, US 52 is signed north–south in West Virginia. In some other states along its route, it is signed east-west. The West Virginia segment is signed such that US 52 north corresponds to the general westward direction of the highway, and vice versa. For a while, US 52 parallels US 23, which is on the other side of the Big Sandy River in Kentucky. This continues into Ohio, where US 52 travels on the Ohio side of the Ohio River while US 23 travels on the Kentucky side.

North Bend Rail Trail

The North Bend Rail Trail is a 72-mile (116 km) rail trail in north-central and western West Virginia in the United States. It is operated by West Virginia State Parks and is part of the American Discovery Trail.

Interstate 77 (I-77) in the U.S. state of West Virginia is a major north–south Interstate Highway. It extends for 187.21 miles (301.29 km) between Bluefield at the Virginia state line and Williamstown at the Ohio state line.

Interstate 64 (I-64) is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It travels through the state for 184 miles (296 km) passing by the major towns and cities of Huntington, Charleston, Beckley, and Lewisburg.

Interstate 64 (I-64) in the U.S. state of Virginia runs east–west through the middle of the state from West Virginia to the Hampton Roads region, for a total of 299 miles (481 km). It is notable for crossing the mouth of the harbor of Hampton Roads on the Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel, the first bridge-tunnel to incorporate artificial islands, concurrent with U.S. Route 60. Also noteworthy is a section through Rockfish Gap, a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which was equipped with an innovative system of airport-style runway lighting embedded into the pavement to aid motorists during periods of poor visibility due to fog or other conditions.

Roads in Charleston, West Virginia

The roads of Charleston, West Virginia, include three major interstate highways, several U.S. highways and state routes, and numerous major thoroughfares.

Corridor Q is a highway in the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is part of the Appalachian Development Highway System and U.S. Route 460. Corridor Q runs from Corridor B near Pikeville, Kentucky easterly to Interstate 81 in Christiansburg, Virginia.

Blennerhassett Island Bridge

Blennerhassett Island Bridge, with a network arch design, carries U.S. Route 50 over the Ohio River and the historic Blennerhassett Island between Belpre Township, Washington County, Ohio and Washington, West Virginia in the United States. Construction of the bridge was overseen by the Walsh Construction Company of Chicago, and it opened to traffic on June 13, 2008. The completion of the span completed Corridor D between Interstate 275 east of Cincinnati to Interstate 79 at Clarksburg, West Virginia.

Interstate 70 (I-70) is a portion of the Interstate Highway System that runs from near Cove Fort, Utah, at a junction with Interstate 15 to Baltimore, Maryland. It crosses the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia through Ohio County and the city of Wheeling. This segment is the shortest of all states' through which I-70 passes, crossing West Virginia in only 14.45 miles (23.26 km). The longest segment is Colorado's, which measures 451.04 miles (725.88 km). The Fort Henry Bridge carries I-70 from Wheeling Island across the Ohio River and into downtown Wheeling before the freeway enters the Wheeling Tunnel. I-470, a southerly bypass of Wheeling and the lone auxiliary Interstate Highway in West Virginia, is intersected near Elm Grove. Before crossing into Pennsylvania, I-70 passes The Highlands, a major shopping center in the panhandle, and the Bear Rock Lakes Wildlife Management Area. On average, between 27,000 and 53,000 vehicles use the freeway every day.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Release Date Report". West Virginia Department of Transportation. August 2003.
  2. ↑ "New Godbey Fields under construction". West Virginia Department of Highways. April 25, 2000. Archived from the original on March 21, 2006. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  3. ↑ "DOH Corridor D Briefing Set for October 25". West Virginia Department of Highways. October 19, 2000. Archived from the original on March 21, 2006. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  4. ↑ "DOH to Open 1.9-Mile Segment of Corridor D". West Virginia Department of Highways. August 25, 2003. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Division Street of Corridor D Set to Open". West Virginia Department of Highways. September 15, 2004. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Island bridge bids opening March 1". West Virginia Department of Highways. March 28, 2005. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  7. ↑ Payne Jr., Dave (April 2005). "W.Va awards bridge contract". West Virginia Department of Highways. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  8. 1 2 Bevins, Evan (May 2005). "Final Corridor D contract to be bid". West Virginia Department of Highways. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
  9. ↑ Payne Jr., Dave (October 6, 2005). "New section of Corridor D to open next week". West Virginia Department of Highways. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008.
  10. ↑ Brown, William (April 23, 2006). "Corridor D continues to progress". West Virginia Department of Highways. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  11. ↑ "DOH to Open Final Roadway Section of Corridor D". West Virginia Department of Transportation. October 26, 2006. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved August 15, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Priority Average Composite Sheet1" [ permanent dead link ]. (spreadsheet XLS). West Virginia Department of Transportation. November 1, 2006.[ dead link ]
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