West Virginia Route 9 (WV 9) is a major east–west state highway located in the eastern extents 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 B ...

Eastern Panhandle The Eastern Panhandle is the eastern of the two panhandles in the U.S. state of West Virginia; the other is the Northern Panhandle. It is a small stretch of territory in the northeast of the state, bordering Maryland and Virginia. Some sources ...

. The western terminus of the route is at the

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

state line north of Paw Paw, where WV 9 becomes Maryland Route 51 (MD 51) upon crossing the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

. The eastern terminus is 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 at

Keyes Gap Keyes Gap or Keyes' Gap is a wind gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain on the border of Loudoun County, Virginia and Jefferson County, West Virginia. The gap is traversed by Virginia State Route 9/ West Virginia Route 9. The Appalachian Trail also ...

near Mannings, West Virginia, where WV 9 continues onward as

Virginia State Route 9 Virginia State Route 9 (SR 9) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Charles Town Pike, the state highway runs from the West Virginia state line near Mechanicsville, where the highway continues west as West Virgin ...

(SR 9). With no east–west US Highway in the region, WV 9 acts as the major east–west transportation artery between Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties. WV 9 briefly enters Hampshire County where it intersects with WV 29 near

Pin Oak ''Quercus palustris'', the pin oak or swamp Spanish oak, is a tree in the red oak section (''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae'') of the genus ''Quercus''. Pin oak is one of the most commonly used landscaping oaks in its native range due to its ease of ...

History

Construction

WV 9 recently underwent a major upgrade. U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd began securing funding for the projects in the early 1990s. Shortly thereafter, a short portion of the road along the southern edge of Martinsburg was upgraded to four lanes, from Queen Street to Kelly Island Road. In the mid-2000s, a short stretch was also upgraded to four lanes from

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 Isla ...

(I-81) west to Harlan Springs Road. The next significant improvement did not take place until September 2007, when a stretch of the upgraded road opened up from Charles Town, through Bardane to Leetown Road in

Kearneysville Kearneysville is an unincorporated community in Jefferson and Berkeley Counties, in the U.S. state of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle in the lower Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of ...

. In early 2008, the future west-bound lanes of traffic were opened to two-way traffic from Kelly Island Road to, and over,

Opequon Creek Opequon Creek is an approximately 35 mile U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 tributary stream of the Potomac River. It flows into the Potomac northeast of Ma ...

. This allowed for the former road surface to be pulled up and the eastbound lanes to be built. It also allowed for the demolition of the old bridge over the Opequon, which had been the site of several fatal accidents. WV 9 1-mile from interchange

In April 2009, a short section of the new WV 9 was opened from the Eastern Regional Jail to the Opequon Creek bridge. A section of WV 9 from the Eastern Regional Jail to Short Road was completed at the end of 2009. Construction from Short Road to Leetown Road was completed in August 2010. The stretch from the

line to Charles Town was the most recent stage of construction. A pair of new bridges span U.S. Route 340 (US 340) south of Charles Town. The bypass carries WV 9 away from its previous winding route across the Shenandoah River and the Blue Ridge. Instead, it follows a straight path near Cattail Run Road, connecting with

Virginia Route 9 Virginia State Route 9 (SR 9) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. Known as Charles Town Pike, the state highway runs from the West Virginia state line near Mechanicsville, where the highway continues west as West Virgini ...

. Despite opposition from some Virginia residents, who were concerned about increasing traffic along the narrow, winding stretch of SR 9 through the town of Hillsboro, this stretch of road opened to traffic on November 14, 2012.

Naming dedication

In April 2008, a section of the road, which passes by his Gap View Farm home, was named and dedicated in

Frank Buckles Frank Woodruff Buckles (born Wood Buckles, February 1, 1901February 27, 2011) was a United States Army corporal and the last surviving American military veteran of World War I. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1917 at the age of 16 and served wi ...

's honor by then-West Virginia Governor

Joe Manchin Joseph Manchin III (born August 24, 1947) is an American politician and businessman serving as the senior United States senator from West Virginia, a seat he has held since 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, Manchin was the 34th governor o ...

Major intersections

References

External links