U.S. Route 121 (US 121) is a proposed

U.S. highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

designated as the Coalfields Expressway, a four-lane highway stretching from Beckley, West Virginia, to

Pound, Virginia Pound is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The population was recorded as 1,037 in the 2010 United States Census. History The Pound area was explored in 1751 by Christopher Gist, and it is traditionally said to be the oldest sett ...

, approximately in length. It is designed to connect

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 interchang ...

(I-64) and I-77 in

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 B ...

near Beckley to US 23 in

Wise County, Virginia Wise County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county was formed in 1856 from Lee, Scott, and Russell Counties and named for Henry A. Wise, who was the Governor of Virginia at the time. History The Cherokee conquered the ...

, at Pound. While US 121 will not connect directly to US 21, it will intersect at the latter road's original alignment, now a part of I-77.

History

The Coalfields Expressway will depart from US 23 in

, in Wise County, and roughly follow

Virginia State Route 83 State Route 83 (SR 83) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 23 Business (US 23 Business) in Pound east to the West Virginia state line in Paynesville, where the highway continues ...

(SR 83) in Buchanan County to

West Virginia Route 83 West Virginia Route 83 is an east–west state highway located within McDowell County, West Virginia. The western terminus is at the Virginia state line six miles (10 km) west of Jolo, where WV 83 continues west as Virginia State Route 83. T ...

(WV 83) in

McDowell County, West Virginia McDowell County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,111. Its county seat is Welch. McDowell County is the southernmost county in the state. It was created in 1858 by the Virginia Gener ...

. Then it will travel northeast through depressed areas of

, paralleling

West Virginia Route 16 West Virginia Route 16 (WV 16) is a north–south route located in the U.S. State of West Virginia. The southern terminus of the route is at the Virginia state line in Bishop, McDowell County, where the route continues south as Virginia St ...

through

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

and

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

counties. It will then run toward an expanded

/ Interstate 77 interchange near Beckley. The roadways US 121 will replace are deficient in the fact that the existing roadways have limited passing opportunities, steep grades, and low design speeds. As of October 2020, of US 121 is open to traffic in West Virginia (from the connector to WV 54 near Mullens and WV 16/ WV 97 in Sophia) is currently signed as West Virginia Route 121 (WV 121).

Virginia

In Virginia, the Coalfields Expressway will run for , following Virginia Route 83 from the West Virginia border to U.S. Highway 23 in Pound. Near the Grundy - Vansant area, U.S. Route 460 will become a new four-lane highway connecting the Coalfields Expressway with

Breaks Interstate Park Breaks Interstate Park is a bi-state state park located partly in southeastern Kentucky and mostly in southwestern Virginia, in the Jefferson National Forest, at the northeastern terminus of Pine Mountain. Rather than their respective state par ...

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 ...

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 ...

border and

Elkhorn City, Kentucky Elkhorn City is a home rule-class city in Pike County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 982 at the 2010 census. The city is located in proximity to the Breaks Interstate Park. History Elkhorn City was first settled by William ...

West Virginia

Construction started in 1999 with grading near Welch in western West Virginia. Work was completed in 2003. Further eastward, work is continuing on a segment of the Expressway in the vicinity of Sophia and Crab Orchard near Beckley totaling . Grading and preliminary paving operations have been completed, as well as the gradings and bridge construction for a diamond interchange for

West Virginia Route 54 West Virginia Route 54 is a north–south state highway located in southern West Virginia. The southern terminus of the route is at West Virginia Route 16 West Virginia Route 16 (WV 16) is a north–south route located in the U.S. St ...

and a bridge over

. In November 2004, a contract was awarded for paving operations at a cost of $11.5 million from Surveyor Creek Road to the

interchange. With this segment of the Expressway completed, a new tie-in will be complete from Surveyor Creek Road to five-lane

, as well as an interchange with

. Two contracts totaling $22.2 million are currently under construction. One project involves grading and drainage operations on of US 121 from Big Ridge to Surveyor Creek Road that involves nearly of excavation. In the fall of 2013, two contracts were awarded to grade and drain an additional of US 121 near

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

. It is one of four projects planned to complete the road to Mullens. Following the election of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Jim Justice in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, the newly elected Governor began aggressively pushing for the highway's completion. Governor Justice requested $54.4 million for grading in Wyoming County. The construction would be financed through raising taxes. In an upcoming ballot issue to approve of road bonds, Governor Justice allocated $55 million to extend the road from Slab Fork to Mullens and eventually to Welch. The ballot issue passed. On October 1, 2020, the extension to Mullens opened at a ceremony attended by Governor Justice.

Major intersections

Mileposts are approximate.

References

External links

Official Virginia DOT Coalfields Expressway Web Site

Official West Virginia DOT Coalfields Expressway Web Site
Coalfields Expressway Authority. June 20, 2003.

{{Use mdy dates, date=March 2020 21-1 21-1 21-1 21-1 1