U.S. Route 52 In West Virginia on:
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U.S. Route 52 (US 52) skirts the western fringes of the U.S. state of
The Tolsia Highway is defined as running from I-64 at
Construction began in 1999 on the three-level diamond interchange on Indian Ridge near Welch that will facilitate traffic between the King Coal Highway (US 52, 
Work has progressed on the four-lane upgrading of US 52 in Mercer County just east of Bluefield. On November 24, a contract totalling $2,057,914 was let to move approximately of dirt and to grade and drain .22 miles from the recently completed $27 million interchange with
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 runs from 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 near Bluefield, where it is concurrent
Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to:
Law
* Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea''
* Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...
with 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 ...
(I-77), in a general northwest and north direction to 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 interchang ...
at Kenova
Kenova is a city in Wayne County, West Virginia, United States, situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers. Located near a tristate border, the city's name is a portmanteau of Kentucky, Ohio, and Virginia (Va). Founded in ...
. There it turns east, overlapping I-64 for before splitting off onto the West Huntington Expressway into 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 ...
via the West Huntington Bridge
The West Huntington Bridge (officially named the Nick Joe Rahall II Bridge, also called the West End Bridge or the 17th Street West Bridge) is a two-lane, cantilever bridge on the west side of Huntington, West Virginia, United States. It crosses ...
. 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
}
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 ...
, which is on the other side of the Big Sandy River in 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 ...
. This continues into Ohio, where US 52 travels on 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 ...
side of 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 ...
while US 23 travels on the Kentucky side.
Most of the route is being upgraded to a high-speed four-lane divided highway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
, but not 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 ...
. It has been designated as part of the I-73
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 from ...
and I-74
}
Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities); the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange ...
corridors. From I-77 south of Bluefield to near Williamson, the new highway has been referenced to as the King Coal Highway; from Williamson north to Kenova, it is the Tolsia Highway.
History
West Huntington Expressway
The West Huntington Expressway is a controlled-access elevated highway that crosses the west end of Huntington WV. It was constructed in 1965 and originally signed as West Virginia Route 94 (WV 94). The first segment to open was a stub fromI-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 ...
to Jefferson Avenue in West Huntington in the fall of 1965. This included a bridge over a CSX railroad mainline. In the early 1970s, the expressway was extended northward across what is now the Nick Joe Rahall II Bridge across 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 ...
to US 52 and State Route 7
The following highways are numbered 7. For roads numbered A7, see list of A7 roads.
Route 7, or Highway 7, may refer to:
International
* AH7, Asian Highway 7
* European route E07
* European route E007
Afghanistan
*Kunduz-Khomri Highway (A7)
...
in 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 ...
.
Tolls were collected at 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 ...
bridge until the mid-1980s. The expressway has four lanes from I-64 to the US 60 interchange, where it drops to two lanes for the remainder of the highway, which includes 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 ...
bridge. The expressway was renumbered US 52 in 1979 when that highway was re-routed out of downtown Huntington to a new alignment on I-64 west to the Tolsia Highway south of Kenova.
Tolsia Highway
The Tolsia Highway is defined as running from I-64 at Kenova
Kenova is a city in Wayne County, West Virginia, United States, situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers. Located near a tristate border, the city's name is a portmanteau of Kentucky, Ohio, and Virginia (Va). Founded in ...
to Corridor G
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 ...
(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 ...
) north of Williamson. The name Tolsia takes the names from the first initials of the Tug, Ohio, Levisa, and Sandy Improvement Association. US 52 originally took the path of WV 152, approximately east of the current alignment. In the mid-1960s, state funding was secured to upgrade most of County Route 1 (CR 1), which ran along the Big Sandy River and Tug Fork River
The Tug Fork is a tributary of the Big Sandy River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 13, 2011 in southwestern West Virginia, southwestern Virginia, and eastern ...
. The upgraded CR 1 and CR 29 was renumbered as US 52 in 1979.
Portions of the highway have been upgraded to four lanes. In 1998, US 52 south of the I-64 interchange in Kenova was upgraded to four-lane highway standards to the access road for Tri-State Airport
Tri-State Airport (Milton J. Ferguson Field) is a public airport in Wayne County, West Virginia, United States, three miles south of Huntington, West Virginia, near Ceredo and Kenova. Owned by the Tri-State Airport Authority, it serves Huntingt ...
. In that same year, the Prichard bypass was opened to traffic with one interchange and one at-grade intersection. This bypass includes very large rock cuts and a long and winding grade down a hill. In 2001, the four-lane highway was extended southward approximately to a stub interchange with WV 75. Also in that year, the four-lane highway near Prichard was extended northward for , removing some grades and curves along US 52. The extension was completed in 2002 at a cost of $9.6 million.
In 2001, the Crum segment of the Tolsia Highway opened to traffic. The highway begins just north of Crum at an incomplete diamond interchange and heads eastward towards CR 2. It has at-grade intersections with CR 52-47 and CR 52-31 along with a side road at the eastern terminus that takes traffic to CR 2. There are stubs for future bridges and ramps. Signage along this segment is minimal, with only a handful of arrows to designate the route. While the highway was built to four-lane standards, it is only striped for two.
In late 2002, Senator Robert C. Byrd
Robert Carlyle Byrd (born Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr.; November 20, 1917 – June 28, 2010) was an American politician and musician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia for over 51 years, from 1959 until his death in 2010. A ...
received $20 million in funds to jump-start construction on the northern half of the Tolsia Highway. The money would be used to speed up construction on the link between Huntington and Prichard, serving several industrial parks and relieving two-lane US 52 of coal-truck congestion.
In 2003, survey and design of of four-lane US 52 upgrades from Prichard north to Cyrus
Cyrus ( Persian: کوروش) is a male given name. It is the given name of a number of Persian kings. Most notably it refers to Cyrus the Great ( BC). Cyrus is also the name of Cyrus I of Anshan ( BC), King of Persia and the grandfather of Cyrus ...
were completed. Plans include an interchange and five bridge structures.
Williamson Bypass
US 52 enters Kentucky twice along theWilliamson, West Virginia
Williamson is a city in Mingo County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Tug Fork River. The population was 3,191 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Mingo County, and is the county's largest and most populous city. Willia ...
bypass; bridging the Tug Fork River was preferred because it prevented the blasting of several hillsides in West Virginia. It was completed in 1996 as part of the Corridor G
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 ...
( US 119) project. The speed limit in West Virginia is but drops to in Kentucky.
Future
The Tolsia Highway is expected to meet the King Coal Highway at WV 65 and Corridor G (US 119).King Coal Highway
The King Coal Highway is defined to run from WV 65 and Corridor G (US 119) near Belo, West Virginia, toI-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 ...
at its US 52 interchange near Bluefield. The Coalfields Expressway ( US 121) and the Shawnee Expressway will connect to the King Coal Highway.
The travel time, currently over 120 minutes from Williamson to Bluefield, will be reduced to 87 minutes. South of Ikes Fork, a two-hour trip to Bluefield will be reduced to 44 minutes.
Interchanges and intersections proposed for the King Coal Highway include:
* Mingo County
Mingo County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,568. Its county seat and largest city is Williamson. Created in 1895, Mingo is West Virginia's newest county, named for the historic Iroq ...
:
** Near Head of Isaban
** Near Taylorville, West Virginia
** Near Twisted Gun Gap, West Virginia
** Near Delbarton
** Near Sharon Heights
* Logan County Logan County is the name of ten current counties and one former county in the United States:
* Logan County, Arkansas
* Logan County, Colorado
* Logan County, Idaho (1889–1895)
* Logan County, Illinois
* Logan County, Kansas
* Logan County, ...
:
** Horsepen Mountain at Mountain View
* McDowell County:
** Johnny Cake Mountain
** Sandy Huff
** Davy
Davy may refer to:
* Davy (given name)
* Davy (surname)
* Davy lamp, a type of safety lamp with its flame encased inside a mesh screen
* Davy, West Virginia, United States, a town
* Davy Sound, Greenland
* Davy (crater), a crater on the moon
...
** Welch at Indian Ridge
** Carswell Hollow near Kimball
** Burke Mountain near Keystone
** Near Crumpler
Crumpler is an Australian bag brand and manufacturer with two separately held companies who design and supply different products to their respective markets. The company's Pacific headquarterers are in Melbourne, Australia, while its European ...
** Near the head of Long Pole
** Near the head of Isaban
* Wyoming County:
** Indian Ridge near Steeles
** Near Fanrock and Bailysville at Davy Mountain on Indian Ridge
** Near Head of North Springs
** Head of Burke Mountain near Herndon
Herndon may refer to:
People
* Herndon (surname), an American surname
* Herndon Davis (1901–1962), American artist, journalist, illustrator, and painter
Places in the United States Communities
* Herndon, California, an unincorporated commun ...
* Mercer County:
** Near Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
** Near McComas
** Near Sandlick
** West Virginia Route 20
West Virginia Route 20 is a major north–south state highway in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 52 in Bluewell, a small unincorporated suburb of Bluefield. The northern terminus is a ...
near Littlesburgh Road
** Near Rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
** Near Godfrey
** West Virginia Route 123
West Virginia Route 123 is an east–west state highway located in the Bluefield, West Virginia area. The western terminus of the route is at the Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atl ...
- Airport Road
** John Nash Boulevard
Construction began in 1999 on the three-level diamond interchange on Indian Ridge near Welch that will facilitate traffic between the King Coal Highway (US 52, Interstate 73
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 from ...
/ 74) and the Coalfields Expressway ( US 121). Initial site work was completed in 2003, with grading evident; this required the filling in of a large valley. It will also be the site of a new state prison along with future industrial development.
Work has progressed on the four-lane upgrading of US 52 in Mercer County just east of Bluefield. On November 24, a contract totalling $2,057,914 was let to move approximately of dirt and to grade and drain .22 miles from the recently completed $27 million interchange with Corridor Q
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 (US 23/US 119) near Pikeville, Kentucky easterly ...
(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 ...
) east of Bluefield to 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 ...
just north of James P. Bailey Lake. Six buildings will be demolished. This is the first of several projects that will extend the King Coal Highway to West Virginia Route 123
West Virginia Route 123 is an east–west state highway located in the Bluefield, West Virginia area. The western terminus of the route is at the Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atl ...
(Airport Road) north of Bluefield. Extending this project east, another contract was awarded December 15 and totals $1,371,251. The contract calls for more than of excavation to grade and drain .18 mile of the King Coal Highway from county route 25 just north of the 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 ...
interchange to south of the old Raleigh-Grayson Turnpike. 36 buildings will be demolished. A future contract will include a bridge over 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 ...
which will cost $15 million.
Design work is being commenced on a segment of the King Coal Highway from Horsepen Mountain to Isaban and from the Mercer County Interchange to West Virginia Route 123
West Virginia Route 123 is an east–west state highway located in the Bluefield, West Virginia area. The western terminus of the route is at the Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atl ...
/Airport Road. The work being done on a section of highway near Horsepen Mountain is being done by mining companies that will save taxpayers over $20 million.
The total cost for both the Tolsia and King Coal Highways will be over $2 billion.
Major intersections
References
External links
{{state detail page browse, type=I, route=74, state=West Virginia, statebefore=Ohio, stateafter=Kentucky, statebefore2=Kentucky, stateafter2=Virginia, stateafterlink=no, statebefore2link=no 52 West Virginia Interstate 73 Interstate 74 Transportation in Mercer County, West Virginia Transportation in McDowell County, West Virginia Transportation in Wyoming County, West Virginia Transportation in Mingo County, West Virginia Transportation in Pike County, Kentucky Transportation in Wayne County, West Virginia Transportation in Cabell County, West Virginia