Corridor Q is a

highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

s of

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 ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

. It is part of the

Appalachian Development Highway System The Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) is a series of highway corridors in the Appalachia region of the eastern United States. The routes are designed as local and regional routes for improving economic development in the historical ...

and

U.S. Route 460 U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent route once ...

. Corridor Q runs from

Corridor B The Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) is a series of highway corridors in the Appalachia region of the eastern United States. The routes are designed as local and regional routes for improving economic development in the historica ...

(

US 23 } U.S. Route 23 or U.S. Highway 23 (US 23) is a major north–south U.S. Highway between Jacksonville, Florida, and Mackinaw City, Michigan. It is an original 1926 route which originally reached only as far south as Portsmouth, Ohio, and has since ...

US 119 U.S. Route 119 (US 119) is a spur of US 19. It is a north–south route (on a northeast-southwest alignment) that was an original United States highway of 1926. It is Corridor G of the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) east of US ...

) near

Pikeville, Kentucky Pikeville () is a city in and the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky, United States. During the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population within Pikeville's city limits was 7,754. In Kentucky's current city classification sys ...

easterly to

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island ...

Christiansburg, Virginia Christiansburg (formerly Hans Meadows) is a town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. The population was 21,041 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County. Christiansburg, Blacksburg and the city of Radford are th ...

. Corridor Q does not meet any ADHS Corridors other than B, but it meets the planned Coalfields Expressway (

U.S. Route 121 U.S. Route 121 (US 121) is a proposed U.S. highway designated as the Coalfields Expressway, a four-lane highway stretching from Beckley, West Virginia, to Pound, Virginia, approximately in length. It is designed to connect Interstate ...

) near

Grundy, Virginia Grundy is a town in Buchanan County, Virginia, United States, an area located within the Appalachian Mountains region. It is the county seat of Buchanan County. The town is home to the Appalachian School of Law. The population was 875 as of the ...

, the

King Coal Highway King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

(

U.S. Route 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...

) in

Bluefield, West Virginia Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,658 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bluefield WV- VA micropolitan area, which had a population of 106,363 in 2020. Geography Bluefie ...

, and

Interstate 77 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 ...

just to the east near

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 ni ...

. At its west end, traffic can continue northwesterly along Corridor B,

Corridor R The Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) is a series of highway corridors in the Appalachia region of the eastern United States. The routes are designed as local and regional routes for improving economic development in the historica ...

, Corridor I, and

Interstate 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 ...

to reach

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

. The part of Corridor Q east of Bluefield is part of the

I-73/74 North-South Corridor Interstate 73 (I-73) is a north–south Interstate Highway, located within the US state of North Carolina. Currently, there is one continuous section of I-73, totaling , first traversing the U.S. Route 220 (US 220) freeway fro ...

History

Kentucky

Corridor Q in Kentucky exists between

Yeager Yeager is a mostly American surname, a phonetic transcription of the common German surname Jaeger (Jäger), meaning hunter. Ya ...

to the VA 80 near

Breaks, Virginia Breaks is a small unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) mostly in Buchanan County, Virginia, United States. A small portion of the CDP is in Dickenson County. Breaks is located very close to the Kentucky border and is east o ...

. The corridor is expected to continue southeastward to the Coalfields Expressway approximately five-miles from the Kentucky state line."Project Description." Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. November 30, 200

. The new four-lane relocation of US 460 will include interchanges at U.S. Route 23, US 23, Greasy Creek Road, KY 195 and at

KY 80 Kentucky Route 80 (KY 80) is a state highway in the southern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. The route originates on the state's western border at Columbus in Hickman County and stretches across the southern portion of the state, ...

. An eight-mile segment of the new US 460 realignment opened from US 23 to Wolfpit Branch Road on December 18, 2014.

US 460 realignment construction

* Section 1: US 460 departs from US 23 at

Yeager Yeager is a mostly American surname, a phonetic transcription of the common German surname Jaeger (Jäger), meaning hunter. Ya ...

and heads southeast towards Stagger Fork. An at-grade intersection was constructed at US 23, however it was grade-separated in 2008."Schedules." Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. November 30, 200

. This section is complete. * Section 2: US 460 will extend eastward from Stagger Fork to Greasy Creek Road. A diamond interchange is planned for the eastern terminus of this section. This section is complete. * Section 3: The highway will extend further east from the Greasy Creek Road interchange to Snake Branch. This section is complete. * Section 4 ** Section 4A: The relocation continues from Snake Branch to Wolpit Branch. This section is complete. ** Section 4B: US 460 continues from Wolfpit Branch to KY 195. This section is complete. * Section 5: The highway will continue eastward from the KY 195 interchange to Laurel Branch. The KY 195 interchange will be constructed during this phase. Construction began in 2009. * Section 6 ** Section 6A: This section extends from Laurel Branch to Pond Creek. Construction began in 2010. ** Pond Creek Bridge - Construction will begin in 2015. ** Section 6B: The route is extended east to Russell Fork. Construction began on this segment in 2011. ** Section 6C: This involves the construction of a bridge spanning Russell Fork and

. Construction will begin on this segment in 2016. * Section 7 ** Section 7JMB: This involved the construction of a bridge over Russell Fork just west of Elkhorn City, Kentucky, Elkhorn City for John Moore Branch Road. Construction on this segment is complete. ** Section 7A: This section of US 460 extends from KY 80 to east of Beaver Creek. It includes an interchange with KY 80. Construction on this segment began in 2006. ** 7A-2 Construction to begin in 2016. ** Section 7B: This extends from east of Beaver Creek to KY 1373. Construction on this segment began in 2006 and has been completed. * Section 8: US 460 will extend east from KY 1373 to the

state line. Construction began on this segment in 2013. * Section 9V: This section, constructed by the

Virginia Department of Transportation The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is the agency of the state government responsible for transportation in the state of Virginia in the United States. VDOT is headquartered at the Virginia Department of Highways Building in downtown ...

, will include the connection to VA 80. Construction began on this segment in 2010.

Virginia

In the early 1970s, the former Virginian Railway right-of-way along the north bank of the New River eastward from a point near the VA-WV state line near Glen Lyn to Narrows was acquired by VDOT's predecessor agency from the Norfolk and Western Railway to enable four-laning of the highway through the narrow space between the river and rocky bluffs. (The N&W main line follows the south bank through this area). Along this stretch of highway (From the WV-VA state line until Pearisburg, VA.) the speed limit fluctuates multiple times, with posted limits quickly dropping to as low as 40 miles per hour. Police presence along the highway is especially high in the town of Narrows, VA. (Where the speed limit is 40 miles per hour). Traveling further east, U.S. 460 climbs the mountain. After leaving Giles County and entering Montgomery County, views of the Blacksburg countryside are visible on the south side of the mountain. As the highway begins the long descent down the mountain, travelers enter Blacksburg's limits. There are several ways to access Downtown Blacksburg from U.S. 460 (Listed in order as if traveling Eastbound). * North Main Street (Business 460): 4-way intersection (Farmingdale Lane to the right, North Main Street to the left * Toms Creek Road: Limited-access interchange with right exit. This exit is convenient for destinations on Patrick Henry Drive (The Village Phase I and II, Terrace View, Pheasant Run Crossing, Hunter's Ridge, Pheasant Run, Collegiate Suites, University Terrace) and also destinations on the northern end of University City Blvd. * Prices Fork Road: Limited-access interchange with right-hand exit. This exit is convenient for destinations such as Lodging (Hilton Garden Inn, Hawthorne Suites, The Inn at Virginia Tech), the University Mall area, which is on the southern end of University City Blvd. (Math Emporium, Off-Campus Bookstore, numerous dining establishments) and off-campus housing (Hethwood, Smith's Landing). From the west (U.S. 460), Prices Fork Road is the preferred way to travel into Downtown Blacksburg or one of two ways to access the Virginia Tech campus. * Southgate Drive: A modified diverging-diamond high-speed interchange runs directly into the

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

campus. This is the preferred entrance point for the athletic complex and Lane Stadium. It is also the best entrance for the Virginia Tech Airport and Corporate Research Center, both of which are located on Tech Center Drive, along with the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM). This project replaced a signaled 3-way intersection in 2018. * South Main Street (Business 460): Limited-access interchange with right-hand exit Heading north on Main Street will take you back towards Blacksburg. Heading south takes travelers past Montgomery Regional Hospital and into the business district of Christiansburg. After passing the South Main Street exit, U.S. 460 travelers are now in the vicinity of Christiansburg. * VA 114: Limited-access interchange that serves the large commercial area of Christiansburg that necessitated construction of the bypass; VA 114 continues west to the Radford Army Ammunition Plant and ends at U.S. 11 in the Fairlawn section of Pulaski County. * North Franklin and Depot streets: Limited-access interchange that funnels traffic into a convoluted intersection with North Franklin Street (traffic south into downtown Christiansburg) and Depot Street (west to a large conglomeration of subdivisions, east to the Cambria section of Christiansburg). There is a ghost ramp that would allow eastbound travelers to reach North Franklin Street going northbound; westbound travelers can exit to North Franklin Street in both directions. * Roanoke Street/U.S. 460 Business/U.S. 11: Limited-access interchange at the south (east) end of the original Christiansburg bypass. Roanoke Street to the west reaches downtown Christiansburg, while traveling east serves a commercial strip (including the Shelor auto dealerships) before reaching the original interchange with I-81. * I-81: The highway continues to an interchange with direct access to I-81 via collector roads, continuing east to the original Roanoke Street exit, where U.S. 460 continues east toward Shawsville, Elliston, Salem, and Roanoke. The road beyond the interchange continues as Falling Branch Road. Presently, U.S. 460 Business (South Main Street, but becomes North Franklin Street upon entering Christiansburg) runs through downtown Christiansburg and U.S. 460 Bypass runs just outside the town.

Future

Future plans include converting the Smart Road into a 5.7-mile limited-access highway, connecting Blacksburg directly to I-81. Th
VDOT Projects and Studies
website for the Smart Road project states under Phase 1, "Western end has large turnaround for normal-speed turns by test vehicles. Will link with Route 460 Business and Bypass and new Blacksburg interchange for 460 Bypass (under construction) for regular traffic when phase 3 completed". At this point in time, ramps are partially complete, but inaccessible.

West Virginia

Corridor Q in

comprises

US 19 U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie. The highway's southern ...

US 52 U.S. Route 52 (US 52) is a major United States highway in the central United States that extends from the northern to southeastern region of the United States. Contrary to most other even-numbered U.S. Highways, US 52 primarily follows ...

and

US 460 U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent route once ...

all within Mercer County. The section from the

state line east to

/ WV 112 opened in 1977 at a distance of .Release Date Report. West Virginia Department of Transportation. August 2003. It forms a southern bypass of Bluefield and features a small concurrency with

; it is signed as US 460 otherwise. During the same year, the section of US 19 and US 460 that run concurrent between WV 112 and CR 19-33 at Maple Acres opened (MP 5.38 to MP 8.68). The segment between Maple Acres and the US 19 intersection southwest of Princeton opened in 1967 (MP 8.68 to 10.70). The corridor between WV 112 and the northern US 19 intersection is signed both US 19 and US 460 (MP 5.38 to 10.70). In 1978, a southern bypass of

opened from the northern US 19 intersection southwest of the city to the WV 104 intersection just west of

(MP 10.73 to MP 15.35). The four-lane road at the Interstate 77 junction opened nine-years prior (MP 15.35 to MP 15.84). The remainder of the highway between the

junction and the Virginia state line at Glen Lyn opened in 1972 and 1973 (MP 15.84 to 27.06). The only modification to the highway, with the exclusion of various traffic signal additions between Bluefield and Princeton, is an incomplete interchange with the

at the eastern US 52 junction east of Bluefield. The $27 million interchange opened in the early 2000s with the four-lane upgrade of US 52 between US 460 and

.DOH Awards King Coal Highway Contract. December 18, 2003. West Virginia Department of Transportation. December 24, 200

{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040202033043/http://wvkingcoal.com/press/121803.html , date=February 2, 2004 .

References

External links

Pike County, Kentucky US 460 Reconstruction
Appalachian Development Highway System, Q Roads in Kentucky Roads in Virginia Roads in West Virginia