HARDY COUNTY, W.Va. — A good crowd turned out to East Hardy High School Tuesday evening for a public hearing regarding the most eastern leg of Corridor H.
The stretch of the highway would run from Wardensville to the Virginia state line.
Sarah Leigh Runyon, deputy chief engineer of development with the West Virgnia Division of Highways, says it was a profitable meeting.
“It was a very good turnout. We had a lot of the community show up and some people from outside of the community as well,” Runyon said. “There were a lot of people that supported the project and a few people having comments in opposition or concern with what the project might do to the area.”
The current main thoroughfare is WV 55, a road known to be hilly and a bit dicey during the winter months, especially the two-lane sections of the road.
Runyon says Corridor H will be a better alternative, and some of the comments from Tuesday’s hearing echoed that.
“There are sections that are very steep and there are lots of wrecks. It’s very dangerous when we’re in snow and ice season, and the new alignment has a much better grade and it’s not as steep and unsafe as the current alignment,” Runyon said.
“We had a lot of comments supporting the road and how much safer it’s going to be to keep the tractor trailer traffic off the secondary roads and the roads through town, the roads where we typically have school bus stops and businesses along the side of the road,” Runyon said. “It’s going to keep the major through traffic away from that, which is going to make everything a lot safer.”
During the meeting, the Supplemental Environmental Assessment was formally announced. Runyon did say that the DOH has received negative comments and concerns ever since plans for this stretch started, mainly coming from Wardensville locals concerning how their water supply would be affected.
“There was nothing that was surprising. It’s the same comments that we’ve been getting from the public through this whole process,” Runyon said. “There’s been a lot of comments concerning the water supply for the town of Wardensville and possibly diverting traffic from the town and what that might to do them.”
Runyon also said the other main concern brought up Tuesday was neighboring Virginia, and if they would be holding up their end this leg of Corridor H.
“There were a lot of comments concerning whether Virginia plans to complete their section of Corridor H that connects to Interstate 81,” Runyon said. “We recently had some communication with Virginia DOT, and I think, now that we are completing this last section that connects to Virginia, they are ready to move forward with their section, at least for the planning stages.”
The DOH will be taking public comments on the stretch of Corridor H until June 1.
