Interstate 77 (I-77) in the US state of
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
is a major north–south
Interstate Highway
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
. It extends for between
Bluefield at the
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
state line and
Williamstown at the
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
state line.
The highway serves
Charleston
Charleston most commonly refers to:
* Charleston, South Carolina
* Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital
* Charleston (dance)
Charleston may also refer to:
Places Australia
* Charleston, South Australia
Canada
* Charleston, Newfoundlan ...
, the capital and largest city in West Virginia; it also serves the cities of
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
,
Beckley, and
Parkersburg
Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metro ...
. I-77 follows the entire length of the West Virginia Turnpike, a
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...
that runs between Princeton and Charleston, and it
runs concurrently with
I-64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange w ...
between Beckley and Charleston.
Historically, the West Virginia Turnpike was a two-lane road with treacherous curves and a tunnel (which has since been decommissioned). Construction began in 1952, several years before the
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
was funded. It was only in 1987 that the entire length of the turnpike was upgraded to
Interstate standards
Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway to ...
. Due to the difficulty and lives lost in construction, it has been called "88 miles of miracle".
Route description
Virginia to Charleston
I-77 enters West Virginia from Virginia via the
East River Mountain Tunnel
The East River Mountain Tunnel is a vehicular tunnel that carries Interstate 77 (I-77) and U.S. Route 52 (US 52) through East River Mountain between the communities of Bluefield, West Virginia, and Rocky Gap, Virginia.
History
Groundbreak ...
,
running concurrently with
US Route 52 (US 52). It surfaces in
Mercer County to the east of Bluefield as a four-lane freeway. I-77's first exit in West Virginia is north of the state line; US 52 leaves the highway here. I-77 then turns to the northeast and comes to a partial interchange with
West Virginia Route 112
West Virginia Route 112 is an east–west state highway in southern West Virginia. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 19 east of Bluefield, in the shadow of a "bridge to nowhere"Charles OwensRobert C. Byrd's vision of a grand 'King Coal Hi ...
(WV 112) in
Ingleside. Changing its course to a more northerly alignment, I-77 reaches another partial interchange serving County Route 27 (CR 27). It then continues north toward
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
, which is served by an interchange with
US 460. Here, I-77 becomes the West Virginia Turnpike, which it remains through
Charleston
Charleston most commonly refers to:
* Charleston, South Carolina
* Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital
* Charleston (dance)
Charleston may also refer to:
Places Australia
* Charleston, South Australia
Canada
* Charleston, Newfoundlan ...
. The highway continues northward through rural Mercer County, roughly following
US 19. After passing over
WV 20 with no access, the space between the northbound and southbound roadways widens. The two roadways reunite at a point north of an interchange for CR 7 and WV 20 near
Gardner. Continuing north, the highway approaches the turnpike's Bluestone Service Plaza, accessible from the northbound lanes only. I-77 then crosses the
Bluestone River
The Bluestone River is a tributary of the New River, 77 mi (124 km) long, in southwestern Virginia and southern West Virginia in the United States. in Eads Mill, and the southbound roadway has a rest area and
weigh station
A weigh station is a checkpoint along a highway to inspect vehicular weights and safety compliance criteria. Usually, trucks and commercial vehicles are subject to the inspection.
Weigh stations are equipped with truck scales, some of which are ...
. Now heading northwesterly, the highway approaches an interchange with US 19 and passes
Camp Creek State Park
Camp Creek State Park was created in 1987 by dividing the area from Camp Creek State Forest. Camp Creek State Park is located about two miles (3 km) from the Camp Creek Exit (Exit 20) of I-77 in Mercer County, West Virginia.
Features
...
in
Camp Creek, where the road turns north again.
![West Virginia Turnpike Fayette County](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/West_Virginia_Turnpike_Fayette_County.jpg)
Running closely parallel with US 19, I-77 enters
Raleigh County near the community of
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
. Here, the road has an interchange with CR 48, providing access to
Winterplace Ski Resort
Winterplace Ski Resort is a ski resort located in Ghent, West Virginia on Raleigh County's Flat Top Mountain. The southernmost ski resort in West Virginia, Winterplace is a popular attraction due to its proximity to Interstate 77. It operates ...
. I-77's northbound and southbound lanes separate here, and the highway approaches its first toll plaza. The two roadways reunite at a point south of
Daniels. I-77 meets
I-64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange w ...
south of
Beckley, and the two highways become concurrent. The highways bypass the west side of Beckley, meeting
WV 16 and
WV 3 and passing the turnpike's Beckley Service Area, which includes
Tamarack Marketplace at exit 45. Near the community of
Prosperity
Prosperity is the flourishing, thriving, good fortune and successful social status. Prosperity often produces profuse wealth including other factors which can be profusely wealthy in all degrees, such as happiness and health.
Competing notion ...
, the highway has an exit for US 19 with a toll on the northbound exit and southbound entrance. I-77 heads north from Beckley into the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
. It enters
Fayette County near
Pax
Pax or PAX may refer to:
Peace
* Peace (Latin: ''pax'')
** Pax (goddess), the Roman goddess of peace
** Pax, a truce term
* Pax (liturgy), a salutation in Catholic and Lutheran religious services
* Pax (liturgical object), an object formerly kiss ...
, where it has an exit serving CR . After this exit is the second toll plaza on the turnpike. Continuing in a northwest direction, I-77 comes to an interchange with
WV 612 near
Mossy. Immediately after the northbound exit, the median narrows and changes to a
Jersey barrier
A Jersey barrier, Jersey wall, or Jersey bump is a modular concrete or plastic barrier employed to separate lanes of traffic. It is designed to minimize vehicle damage in cases of incidental contact while still preventing vehicle crossovers resu ...
. This section of the road until
Chelyan has a large number of curves, and it passes the Morton Service Area.
The turnpike crosses into
Kanawha County
Kanawha County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 180,745, making it West Virginia's most populous county. The county seat is Charlest ...
near
Standard Standard may refer to:
Symbols
* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
Norms, conventions or requirements
* Standard (metrology), an object th ...
shortly afterward. Curving to the west and to the north again, I-77 has an exit serving
Sharon
Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname.
In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...
. The highway continues north until it reaches the northernmost toll plaza on the turnpike and the
Kanawha River
The Kanawha River ( ) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, its valley has been a significant industrial region of the stat ...
near
Cabin Creek, where it turns northwest to follow the river toward Charleston. Soon afterward is an exit for the
Admiral T. J. Lopez Bridge
The Admiral T. J. Lopez Bridge is a truss bridge crossing the Kanawha River at Chelyan, West Virginia, named for 4-star admiral Thomas J. Lopez. The Warren truss bridge cost $25.9 million to build, and was opened to traffic on June 30, 1997. It ...
, providing access to
US 60 on the north side of the river. Parallel with
WV 61, after passing
Chesapeake Chesapeake often refers to:
*Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian
* The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay
*Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula
Chesapeake may also refer to:
Populated plac ...
and
Marmet, I-77 crosses the river between exits 95 (WV 61) and 96 (US 60) in
Port Amherst. The West Virginia Turnpike ends after exit 96.
Charleston to Ohio
I-77/I-64 continues west along the north side of the Kanawha River closely parallel with US 60 after the turnpike ends. In eastern Charleston, the highway passes to the north of the historic
Craik-Patton House. Continuing northwest, the road comes to interchanges serving the
35th Street Bridge and
WV 114, the latter of which provides access to the
West Virginia State Capitol
The West Virginia State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of West Virginia, and houses the West Virginia Legislature and the office of the List of Governors of West Virginia, Governor of West Virginia. Located in Charleston, We ...
. The route then enters downtown Charleston and crosses the
Elk River before separating from I-64 at an interchange in north Charleston. I-77 heads northeasterly along the river until it meets the southern terminus of
I-79
Interstate 79 (I-79) is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States, designated from I-77 in Charleston, West Virginia, north to Pennsylvania Route 5 (PA 5) and PA 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is a primary thoroughfare ...
near
Yeager Airport
West Virginia International Yeager Airport is a public airport east of downtown Charleston, in unincorporated Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. It is owned by the Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority. The airport hosts ...
. I-77 then heads north into rural Kanawha County. After passing interchanges with CR 27, CR 29,
WV 622, and CR 21 in
Sissonville, the freeway enters
Jackson County near
Goldtown.
I-77 serves the communities of
Kenna
Kenna Zemedkun, known professionally as Kenna, is an Ethiopian-born American musician, philanthropist and technology creative. His track "Say Goodbye to Love" was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance in the 2009 Grammy Awards. Kenna ...
via an interchange with
WV 34 and
Fairplain via CR 21. The highway continues northward through
Ripley, where it intersects
US 33 and
WV 62. It runs concurrently with US 33 and does so through
Silverton, where US 33 leaves the Interstate and
WV 2 joins it. I-77/WV 2 turns northeasterly toward
Rockport, where it enters
Wood County and turns northward toward
Parkersburg
Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metro ...
. The highway runs through the southeast corner of Parkersburg, bypassing the center of the city. After an interchange with
WV 14 near
Mineral Wells, I-77/WV 2 crosses the
Little Kanawha River
The Little Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, 169 mi (269 km) long,Gilchrist-Stalnaker, Joy Gregoire. 2006. "Little Kanawha River." ''The West Virginia Encyclopedia''. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virgi ...
south of Parkersburg, intersects
WV 47 and
US 50, and heads northeastward from the city. WV 2 leaves I-77 soon after, at exit 179 for
WV 68 in
North Hills. I-77 heads northward toward
Williamstown, which is served by an exit for WV 14. I-77 then crosses the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
into
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Ohio, United States. It is located in southeastern Ohio at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, northeast of Parkersburg, West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, Mar ...
, on the
Marietta–Williamstown Interstate Bridge.
History
Early years
![The Yeager Bridge on the West Virginia Turnpike (88733)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/The_Yeager_Bridge_on_the_West_Virginia_Turnpike_%2888733%29.jpg)
In the
antebellum
Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to:
United States history
* Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States
** Antebellum Georgia
** Antebellum South Carolina
** Antebellum Virginia
* Antebellum ar ...
years before West Virginia separated from Virginia, development of adequate roads was a major area of conflict between the western regions and the east. Through the
Virginia Board of Public Works
The Virginia Board of Public Works was a governmental agency which oversaw and helped finance the development of Virginia's transportation-related internal improvements during the 19th century. In that era, it was customary to invest public funds ...
, the Virginia state government helped finance turnpikes among its programs to encourage
internal improvements
Internal improvements is the term used historically in the United States for public works from the end of the American Revolution through much of the 19th century, mainly for the creation of a transportation infrastructure: roads, turnpikes, canal ...
, with tolls collected to defray operating costs and retire debt. Principal among these was the east–west
Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike The Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike was built in what is now the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia during the second quarter of the 19th century to provide a roadway from Staunton, Virginia and the upper Shenandoah Valley to the Ohio River at ...
, completed from
Staunton to the
Ohio River
The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
at
Parkersburg
Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metro ...
immediately prior to the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
(1861–1865). However, many of the internal transportation improvements were destroyed during that conflict, although bonded debt remained to be paid, even as additional progress had ended. After resolution by the
US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...
, which assigned a third of the amount due to the new state early in the 20th century, West Virginia was faced with retiring its share of Virginia's antebellum debt for the earlier turnpikes (and canals and railroads) even as the citizens needed and sought better roads.
With the completion of the earliest portion of the
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's we ...
before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the desire for such a superhighway in West Virginia took hold. By the midcentury, in the years before creation of the
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
in 1956, superhighways in the form of additional
toll road
A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented ...
s, such as the
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highways in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although maintained by NJTA, is not consi ...
and the
Ohio Turnpike
The Ohio Turnpike, officially the James W. Shocknessy Ohio Turnpike, is a limited-access toll highway in the U.S. state of Ohio, serving as a primary corridor between Chicago and Pittsburgh. The road runs east–west in the northern section of ...
, began stimulating economic development and enhancing transportation in the eastern US.
The challenge of terrain in West Virginia mirrored that of Pennsylvania in some ways but with several important distinctions. The most important of these was that the first portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike had largely followed and utilized a
costly earlier rail project which had never been completed. On the West Virginia Turnpike, there would be no such advantage.
Planning and early construction
![WV Turnpike near Beckley in 1974](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/WV_Turnpike_near_Beckley_in_1974.jpg)
Originally serviced by railroads and then two-lane highways, by the mid-20th century, the cities of southern and central West Virginia grew to the point where the roadways between these regions were becoming woefully inadequate. Heavier traffic loads and increasing traffic volumes made the existing roads dangerous with safety statistics to prove it. In 1949, Governor
Okey Patteson
Okey Leonidas Patteson (September 14, 1898July 3, 1989) was the 23rd Governor of West Virginia from 1949 to 1953. He was a member of the United States Democratic Party and of the "machine" that totally controlled politics in that era in the sta ...
oversaw the creation of the Turnpike Commission which was the start of the planning of what was to become the West Virginia Turnpike.
Two years earlier, the state legislature had appropriated funds to study the feasibility of building a superhighway comparable to similar projects being planned and constructed in other states. Early proposals showed a highway stretching from
Parkersburg
Parkersburg is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-largest city and the largest city in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna metro ...
to
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...
, while another map diagrammed a route from
Wheeling to Princeton. Both of these plans, however, were shelved in a 1951 study, citing the extreme costs of building a modern highway through very unforgiving terrain as the primary reason. The study recommended that the northern terminus be moved to
Fairplain just outside
Ripley and that the southern terminus remain in Princeton. The study also suggested that the highway be constructed as a two-lane facility rather than a four-lane highway, with provisions for future widening when funding became available.
In November 1951, the final alignment was chosen. The route was shorter than the original road mileage between
Charleston
Charleston most commonly refers to:
* Charleston, South Carolina
* Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital
* Charleston (dance)
Charleston may also refer to:
Places Australia
* Charleston, South Australia
Canada
* Charleston, Newfoundlan ...
and Princeton but would save motorists over two hours of driving between those two points. Original cost projections came in at $78 million (equivalent to $ in ).
According to the West Virginia Turnpike CAF Report:
The Commission issued $96 million quivalent to $ in of % revenue bonds in April 1952, and groundbreaking took place in August of that year. Due to the occurrence of large slides midway through construction that had to be corrected at additional expense, revenue bonds for an additional $37 million quivalent to $ in were sold at %. The year 1953 kicked off a period of intense earthmoving that at its peak reached a week and totaled .[CAF Report. West Virginia Turnpike. March 20, 2005.]
When ground was broken on the first segment of the turnpike in 1952, the northern terminus had once again been moved south. This time, it was placed at Charleston, citing cost as the primary reason. The cost was projected to be $133 million (equivalent to $ in ) and to be funded through bonds that would be repaid through a system of tolls. This cost included $5 million (equivalent to $ in ) for a two-lane tunnel to connect
Dawes
Dawes may refer to: Places
* Dawes (Parish), New South Wales, Australia
*Dawes Point, New South Wales, Australia
* Dawes Arboretum, in Newark, Ohio, U.S.
*Dawes County, Nebraska, U.S.
* Dawes Township, Thurston County, Nebraska, U.S.
Other uses
*D ...
to
Standard Standard may refer to:
Symbols
* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
Norms, conventions or requirements
* Standard (metrology), an object th ...
.
Construction took two years at the cost of five workers.
The first section of the highway, the southern from
Beckley to Princeton, opened to traffic on September 2, 1954.
In November, the remaining between Charleston and Beckley opened. The new turnpike had several nicknames, including " of miracle" and "the engineering marvel that beat the mountains".
Triangular turnpike shields, with the words "West Virginia" at the top and an interlocking "T" and "P" in the center, were installed along the highway. Six interchanges were constructed. Initially, the road used a ticket-based tolling system. At each interchange, bridges and underpasses for the mainline had an extra set of graded lanes, indicating that the turnpike was expected to be widened in the future. According to the West Virginia Turnpike CAF Report:
The $1.5 million per mile km; equivalent to $ per mile (/km) in )was only one of the staggering statistics used by journalists as far away as Michigan and New York to describe their "amazement at an engineering achievement of such heroic proportions".
Three service areas, each served by an at-grade intersection, were constructed at Morton, Bluestone, and Beckley. The service areas were originally referred to as "Glass Houses".
For the first few years, the West Virginia Turnpike was a desolate roadway. Although the northern terminus was at a large city, it connected to no other major highways or free-flowing roads. The highway lost some of its "marvel" when ''
The Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'' referred to the road as "the turnpike that goes to nowhere".
Soon after the turnpike was completed, the
Interstate Highway System
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. Th ...
began. The new turnpike, despite its lack of compliance with
Interstate Highway standards
Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway to ...
, cut travel time considerably through the state of West Virginia and linked the southern states to the northern states. This new link, however, was overloaded with traffic by the late 1960s. The turnpike became known as a death-trap, mainly because in-state drivers who were accustomed to lower traffic volumes could not handle the increased traffic that came with the new connection and increased auto and truck accidents resulting in fatalities. By 1975, the death toll for the 21-year-old highway was at 278, and, in 1979, 28 fatalities occurred on the turnpike.
Popular T-shirts proclaimed, "I survived the West Virginia Turnpike."
Modernization
![West Virginia Turnpike Kanawha County](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/West_Virginia_Turnpike_Kanawha_County.jpg)
In the 1960s and 1970s, the growing Interstate Highway System brought in toll-free segments of newly built I-77 from
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
to the north, and
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
to the south ends of the turnpike.
I-64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange w ...
was completed from the
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
border east to Charleston. Work on
I-79
Interstate 79 (I-79) is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States, designated from I-77 in Charleston, West Virginia, north to Pennsylvania Route 5 (PA 5) and PA 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is a primary thoroughfare ...
extended south from
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
through
Morgantown and
Clarksburg to Charleston. Another portion of I-64 was built from Virginia west into the southern portion of the state, ending abruptly at
Sam Black Church.
These connections brought more traffic to West Virginia than the two-lane turnpike could handle adequately. Congestion at the toll plazas was a major concern, along with the increased fatality rate.
The gap on I-64 between Sam Black Church and Charleston forced east–west traffic to use a scenic but treacherous section of
US 60 known as the
Midland Trail
The Midland Trail, also called the Roosevelt Midland Trail, was a national auto trail spanning the United States from Washington, D.C. west to Los Angeles, California and San Francisco, California ('' though the Lincoln Highway guide published i ...
through
Rainelle and
Ansted
The Ansted was an American automobile; successor to the Lexington and the Ansted-Lexington, it was manufactured from 1926 to 1927. Following the sale of the Lexington plant in Connersville, Indiana
Connersville is a city in Fayette Cou ...
before the road descended Gauley Mountain at
Hawk's Nest to the
Kanawha River
The Kanawha River ( ) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, its valley has been a significant industrial region of the stat ...
Valley to reach Charleston. There were terrible accidents along this stretch and lengthy delays as trucks negotiated the major grades.
Expansion
Studies were undertaken to upgrade the highway in the early 1970s. In 1974, the cost to expand the turnpike to four lanes was placed at $350 million (equivalent to $ in ). When the project had not started by 1975, articles in local newspapers attacked the state workers for their "laziness" in pursuing the upgrade of the highway. Turnpike officials worried, as the costs for upgrading the toll road were increasing dramatically.
In 1976, contracts totaling well over $200 million (equivalent to $ in ) were awarded, and construction began.
The first section to be modernized was the section from milepost 10.6 (just north of exit 9,
US 460) in
Mercer County to milepost 35.52 (south of exit 40,
I-64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchange w ...
) in
Raleigh County, completed in 1979. The following year, a segment from milepost 46.7 to milepost 47.95 (exit 48, to
US 19) was completed just north of
Beckley.
In 1981,
Fayette County completed a brief segment from milepost 56.15 near Long Branch to milepost 59.63 (exit 60,
Mossy) and from milepost 62.27 near
Kingston to milepost 66.51 (exit 66,
Mahan Mahan or Mahaan may refer to:
* Mahan (name)
* Mahan confederacy, chiefdoms in ancient Korea
* Mahan, Iran, a city in Kerman Province
* Mahan District, an administrative subdivision of Kerman Province
* Mahan Rural District, an administrative subdi ...
). In 1982, the modernization of the turnpike from milepost 52.2 just south of Willis Branch to milepost 6.12 near Lively was completed. A second
Kanawha River
The Kanawha River ( ) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, its valley has been a significant industrial region of the stat ...
Bridge near
Malden and the Kanawha City neighborhood of Charleston was built to carry an additional two lanes of traffic between mileposts 94.96–95.87. This four-lane upgrade was extended southward to milepost 90 (exit 89,
WV 94,
Marmet) in 1984.
A segment between Fayette and
Kanawha counties was dualized from milepost 66.51 (exit 66, Mahan) to milepost 74.96 (exit 74,
Standard Standard may refer to:
Symbols
* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
Norms, conventions or requirements
* Standard (metrology), an object th ...
) in 1983. Traffic just to the west of this interchange used the two-lane
Bender Bridge and
Memorial Tunnel. In 1984, the turnpike was dualized from milepost 90 (exit 89, WV 94, Marmet) to milepost 82.55; this included construction of a new Toll Plaza C near
Sharon
Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname.
In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...
. In 1985, work continued on a segment south of Mossy from milepost 59.63 (exit 60, Mossy) to milepost 62.27 near Kingston. Also, a segment from the southern terminus of the turnpike at milepost 8.97 (exit 9, US 460) to milepost 10.6 in Mercer County was reconstructed. In the same year, the Raleigh County segment from milepost 40.73 (exit 40, I-64) to milepost 43.83 (exit 44,
WV 3) was dualized, and the segment from milepost 47.95 (exit 48, to US 19) to milepost 52.2 (Toll Plaza B at
Pax
Pax or PAX may refer to:
Peace
* Peace (Latin: ''pax'')
** Pax (goddess), the Roman goddess of peace
** Pax, a truce term
* Pax (liturgy), a salutation in Catholic and Lutheran religious services
* Pax (liturgical object), an object formerly kiss ...
) was completed. In 1986, the segment from milepost 35.52 to milepost 40.73 (exit 40, I-64) was dualized. In 1987, work was finished on the dualization from milepost 43.83 (exit 44, WV 3) to milepost 46.6. The last segment was completed when the Memorial Tunnel and Bender Bridge were bypassed with a massive road cut.
Bypassing Memorial Tunnel
By 1987, the upgrade of of the of the turnpike were essentially completed.
The only remaining segment, the
Memorial Tunnel, once hailed as "state-of-the-art" and the "most majestic feature of the highway",
was becoming a bottleneck in the otherwise four-lane highway. By 1986, the Turnpike Commission was spending over $500,000 per year (equivalent to $ per year in ) to maintain the lights and the automatic exhaust equipment in the tunnel.
Several options were considered, including dualization of the tunnels, addition of two lanes through a large road cut in the mountain, leaving the other two lanes in the tunnel, and replacement of the entire tunnel with an open cut to the north. Citing the high maintenance costs of a tunnel, the replacement option was ultimately chosen.
"The biggest relief will be from our utility crews, who had to maintain the electrical systems and so forth in the tunnel", Turnpike Commission Chair George McIntryre said. "It will make all of our jobs easier as far as traffic is concerned on the turnpike."
The bypass would bypass both the tunnel and the
Bender Bridge which crossed Paint Creek just to the east of the tunnel portal. On July 6, 1987, the Memorial Tunnel officially closed, and two lanes of the open cut just to the north of it were opened. The other two lanes of the open cut were completed in late August.
State Trooper W. D. Thomson became the last motorist to drive through the tunnel. It was not meant to be that way. Originally, Tommy Graley of Standard and his two daughters were picked to be in the last vehicle to pass through the tunnel, but his pickup truck was followed by a car carrying Turnpike officials and the state trooper.
The new Memorial Tunnel bypass cost $35 million (equivalent to $ in ) and required years of work. of earth were removed and used as fill with drainage tiles for Paint Creek. Some of coal were extracted. The Bender Bridge was demolished. The former Memorial Tunnel was used for storage until the mid-1990s, when it became a testing center for tunnel-fire suppression for Boston's
Big Dig
The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T Project), commonly known as the Big Dig, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery of Interstate 93 (I-93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into the 1.5-mile (2.4& ...
project.
The tunnel is still being used today by the
National Response Center
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mul ...
for military and other testing uses. The bypass was not the first of its kind on a toll road, as the
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's we ...
bypassed the
Laurel Hill Tunnel
Laurel Hill Tunnel is a tunnel on the Pennsylvania Turnpike that was bypassed and abandoned in 1964. It is bored through Laurel Ridge, spanning the border of Westmoreland and Somerset counties. Its western portal may be seen from the eastboun ...
in 1964 in similar fashion, and later
bypassed two more tunnels with a single stretch of highway in 1968.
Later history
![West Virginia Turnpike Raleigh County](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/West_Virginia_Turnpike_Raleigh_County.jpg)
The final cost for the entire modernization of the West Virginia Turnpike was $683 million (equivalent to $ in ), more than $300 million (equivalent to $ in ) over original estimates.
It was also one of the few Interstates that received 90-percent federal funding and permission to charge a toll, due to extremely high construction costs. A total of 18 interchanges now exist on the West Virginia Turnpike, up from the original six. A rest area is now provided at milepost 69 for southbound motorists, and a scenic overlook of the
Bluestone River
The Bluestone River is a tributary of the New River, 77 mi (124 km) long, in southwestern Virginia and southern West Virginia in the United States. also serves southbound motorists.
The turnpike displays many cuts through mountains as well as lanes that are separated from each other by substantial difference in elevation. With the completion of I-77, I-79, and finally I-64 by 1988, the turnpike has again become stressed, especially during peak holiday seasons.
On June 1, 1989, the
West Virginia Legislature
The West Virginia Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of West Virginia. A bicameral legislative body, the legislature is split between the upper Senate and the lower House of Delegates. It was established under Article VI o ...
created the
to replace the Turnpike Commission.
In 1991, the Morton and Bluestone Glass Houses were replaced with larger, more modern travel centers. In 1993, the Beckley Glass House was also replaced. Morton and Bluestone service plazas were available to northbound travelers only, while the Beckley service plaza was accessible only to southbound motorists.
HMSHost
HMSHost is an American highway and airport food-service company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Italian company Autogrill S.p.A. , Steve Johnson is the CEO of HMSHost.
History
The company's origins are in the Van Noy Railway News and Hotel Co ...
operates the various restaurants at the plazas, while
ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...
(through its
Exxon
ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...
brand) operates the
gas station
A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel.
Gasoline ...
at each plaza.
In May 1996, exit 45 was renovated to serve the Beckley travel plaza, Dry Hill Road, and the newly constructed
Tamarack Marketplace arts and crafts outlet.
This made the Beckley plaza and Tamarack Marketplace accessible to northbound travelers.
In 2004, a concession stand and new restroom facilities were constructed at the rest area at milepost 69, serving southbound travelers. The milepost 69 rest area and snack bar was razed and replaced with a larger facility in 2017. In 2021, the Parkways Authority sought public input for modernization of the travel plazas, representing the first significant work on the travel plazas since they were built in the early 1990s.
Bond troubles
At one point in the turnpike's history, the Turnpike Commission was not able to pay off even the interest on its bonded indebtedness, and the first bond was not retired until 1982.
When the original bond expired on December 1, 1989, the Turnpike Commission had difficulty determining how to refinance it.
Total revenues from 1954 through 1986 totaled $309.3 million (equivalent to $ in ), with interest of $170.7 million (equivalent to $ in ). In 1986, total annual revenues were $30.4 million (equivalent to $ in ). The commission predicted that when I-64 was completed from Beckley to Sam Black Church in 1988, 6,500 more vehicles would travel the turnpike daily. In the previous 10 years, the commission noted, traffic increased 100 percent and annual gross revenues increased from $11.4 million to $30.4 million (equivalent to $ to $ in ).
The refinancing plan was ultimately completed about six months later, with a new debt approaching $50 million (equivalent to $ in ). Consequently, tolls were held at former rates, ranging from $3.75 to $12 (equivalent to $ to $ in ) per one-way through trip.
Tolls
![WVtollbooth](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/WVtollbooth.jpg)
There are three toll barriers along the turnpike. , passenger cars with two axles pay $4.25 at each barrier. There is also a toll plaza at exit 48, which charges $0.75 for passenger cars exiting northbound and entering southbound.
Rates for larger vehicles are higher. The West Virginia Turnpike is a member of the
E-ZPass
E-ZPass is an electronic toll collection system used on toll roads, toll bridges, and toll tunnels in the Eastern United States, Midwestern United States, and Southern United States. The E-ZPass Interagency Group (IAG) consists of member agencie ...
electronic toll collection consortium, allowing members to attach a transponder to their windshield or front bumper and pay electronically. West Virginia E-ZPass members can pay a flat annual fee for unlimited travel on the West Virginia Turnpike.
The Parkways Authority briefly raised toll rates on January 1, 2006,
but a state judge found the hike to be illegal, rescinding it a few days later. The state legislature subsequently affirmed the judge's decision and removed the Commission's power to set rates, reserving that power to itself. Greg Barr, General Manager of the West Virginia Parkways Authority, had said that, while other states had dramatically increased their tolls over the past few years, the West Virginia Turnpike had not experienced any rate hikes in over two decades.
However, tolls were subsequently increased by 60 percent (from $1.25 to $2 at each barrier) in 2009 and again by 100 percent (to $4.00 at each barrier) in 2019.
In 2013, the
West Virginia House of Delegates
The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates.
Organization
Regular sessions begin with ...
voted in support of a resolution to remove tolls on the turnpike by 2020, but the West Virginia Parkways Authority resolved in 2016 to continue charging tolls after that date.
[ ]
Tamarack Marketplace
![Tamarack West Virginia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Tamarack_West_Virginia.jpg)
Tamarack Marketplace, located at the
Beckley service area, is an arts and crafts outlet that draws over 500,000 visitors a year. Tamarack features juried West Virginia craft products, including handcrafts, pottery, jewelry, fine arts, and products made from textiles, glass, metal, and wood. There are live artisan demonstrations as well as live music, a theater, and storytelling performances. It also contains a
cafeteria-style restaurant
A cafeteria, sometimes called a canteen outside the United States, U.S., is a type of Foodservice, food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether a restaurant or within an institution such as a lar ...
.
Exit list
See also
*
*
References
External links
*
{{state detail page browse, type=I, route=77, state=West Virginia, statebefore=Virginia, stateafter=Ohio
West Virginia
77
Transportation in Wood County, West Virginia
Transportation in Jackson County, West Virginia
Transportation in Kanawha County, West Virginia
Transportation in Fayette County, West Virginia
Transportation in Raleigh County, West Virginia
Transportation in Mercer County, West Virginia