corridor H in Tucker County

[54rndball]

Just got back from a three day weekend at Blackwater Falls State Park, just near Davis and Thomas WV. We made the hike to Lindy Point. What a great view! We also discovered Thomas, and had been familiar with Davis. There is a place in Davis that has live music. We took the kids for a horseback trail ride in the Canaan Valley. This is a great area. With Thomas and Davis, I was thinking this would be a great area for that cabin in the woods. Then I heard about Corridor H, which is being completed. It is a new interstate highway which will make the drive from DC much quicker. One of the locals told me about it, regretting the changes it will bring. While good for business, it will change the place quite significantly. Driving in on 93, it looks pretty bad. There must have been some serious mountain top mining or strip mining, as parts of it look like a moonscape. Not much nature there. The last thing I would want to do is get my 10 acres in the woods, and then find that the area is being subdivided to provide weekend or retirement homes for DC yuppies. I guess looking deeper into the hinterlands is the answer. It seems that a good part of the panhandle and potomac highlands is just too close to MD and DC. Man, this is bad! How to escape from MD! I like the Lost River SP area, but it is just too close to DC already. The area before you get to the park, i.e. Lost City, Wardensville, is just too damn close to DC. It is just too yuppie for me. What are you doing to plan your escape?

 

[MontaniSemperLiberi]

What you're seeing along 93 *IS* Corridor H, but it's also a result of the terrain and weather; not mtn top removal, etc. The area has been heavily timbered over the generations, but there are adverse conditions that affect the flora and fauna as well. In Canaan Valley and certain other environs in that region (Dolly Sods, etc), you'll find flora and fauna that aren't found anywhere further south than Canadian tundra. Seriously.

I grew up not far from there, worked with an environmental non-profit for a period of time as well.

Keep in mind, aside from the damage to the environment, the locals in that are have a certain disdain for tourists; namely because of the number of folks from MD/VA who come there and act like pompous... well, I'm sure you can imagine. There are tons of them, sadly, and they get the label afixed to anyone with out of state plates.

 

[coopermania]

I planned for my escape over 20 years ago, I bought a farm in Southern Indiana

 

[dfens42]

What you're seeing along 93 *IS* Corridor H, but it's also a result of the terrain and weather; not mtn top removal, etc. The area has been heavily timbered over the generations, but there are adverse conditions that affect the flora and fauna as well. In Canaan Valley and certain other environs in that region (Dolly Sods, etc), you'll find flora and fauna that aren't found anywhere further south than Canadian tundra. Seriously.

I grew up not far from there, worked with an environmental non-profit for a period of time as well.

Keep in mind, aside from the damage to the environment, the locals in that are have a certain disdain for tourists; namely because of the number of folks from MD/VA who come there and act like pompous... well, I'm sure you can imagine. There are tons of them, sadly, and they get the label afixed to anyone with out of state plates.

Dolly Sods and Canaan are like a different world in some places. Even up high on Spruce Knob is like that too. Corridor H has it's opponents, no doubt, and undoubtedly it will have some environmental impact. But the area it is going through is very poor and very rural, I think the economic good will outweigh everything else.

Plus it will cut an hour or more off my drive time to Elkins, which you should check out. They have the scenic train that leaves from their plus the American Mountain Theater, and if you really want an experience, check out the Mountain State Forest Festival or Augusta Heritage Festival.

 

[davsco]

i personally think that corridor H won't have a major impact on blackwater/canaan growth. that area just doesn't have the draw that deep creek has, namely the lake. there's a literal handful of mom&pop restaurants in canaan & blackwater that have lasted. if you like the outdoors, there is tons of hiking and biking and canaan has a pretty nice golf course. if you like shopping, antiquing, dining and bars, you're outta luck there.

also, while corridor h helps folks that live off of rt 66, it doesn't help folks at all that live off of rt 7 or points north including maryland. it starts so far south that by the time you schlep down there to catch it, you've gone way out of your way, and it's not much if any better than the very slow route 50.

 

[sxs]

Good to hear you got to visit one of my camping areas. I don't know what impact corridor H will have ultimately, but think about this: If the area begins to develop due to an influx, it should drive prices up. When they're sufficiently higher, you could sell and more to an even more remote area. Just a thought.

 

[54rndball]

Good to hear you got to visit one of my camping areas. I don't know what impact corridor H will have ultimately, but think about this: If the area begins to develop due to an influx, it should drive prices up. When they're sufficiently higher, you could sell and more to an even more remote area. Just a thought.

Yeah, I'm just thinking around 20 acres in the woods would be nice. The cheaper the better!

 

[MontaniSemperLiberi]

it starts so far south that by the time you schlep down there to catch it, you've gone way out of your way, and it's not much if any better than the very slow route 50.

That's the point. A higher speed route was needed across that area of WV to link up with 81 from further south than 68/70. It's actually coming much closer to MD than originally planned. Much, much closer. Hence the "4 lane to nowhere" heading east on old 33 out of the south side of Elkins down towards Harman and on to Seneca.

For West Virginians, it's exactly where it needs to be in between 68 and 64 -- and it's much, much faster than the alternatives.

 

[Norton]

That's the point. A higher speed route was needed across that area of WV to link up with 81 from further south than 68/70. It's actually coming much closer to MD than originally planned. Much, much closer. Hence the "4 lane to nowhere" heading east on old 33 out of the south side of Elkins down towards Harman and on to Seneca.

For West Virginians, it's exactly where it needs to be in between 68 and 64 -- and it's much, much faster than the alternatives.

and it tools the feds jumping in to do it because Virginia decided it wasn't in their best interest to build it.

Hence the creation of US48 taking the place of VA 55.

From I recall about the early days of this project, the people in WV didn't want it either but it was being pushed by business interests and developers who stood to benefit from its construction.

 

[Norton]

That's the point. A higher speed route was needed across that area of WV to link up with 81 from further south than 68/70. It's actually coming much closer to MD than originally planned. Much, much closer. Hence the "4 lane to nowhere" heading east on old 33 out of the south side of Elkins down towards Harman and on to Seneca.

For West Virginians, it's exactly where it needs to be in between 68 and 64 -- and it's much, much faster than the alternatives.

and it took the feds jumping in to do it because Virginia decided it wasn't in their best interest to build it.

Hence the creation of US48 taking the place of VA 55.

From I recall about the early days of this project, the people in WV didn't want it either but it was being pushed by business interests and developers who stood to benefit from its construction.

 

[Anotherpyr]

If you get your 10 acres in the woods and then they start subdividing, you can sell your 10 acres for a profit and go deeper into the woods. Not that I think that is ideal or a sustainable solution as eventually everything gets subdivided. But it isn't a reason to not enjoy your 10 acres until it either does or doesn't happen.

 

[Pushrod]

I hope corrider H crashes and burns. Portions of it in WV aren't scheduled for completion until into the 2020's. The Virginia portion I don't think will ever get completed and that is just fine with me. The extra convenience of a little bit faster of a drive does not out weigh the damage to the area that bringing in that kind of traffic will do. Keep it wild and free.

 

[dfens42]

It's not going to bring in that much traffic.

 

[SummitCnty]

It's not going to bring in that much traffic.

This.

Because there is nothing out there. Highway to absolutely nowhere.

Friend of mine is from Parsons. Locals say it is billed as the driveway for the DC politicians to their homes in WV. I forget which politician.


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[dfens42]

This.

Because there is nothing out there. Highway to absolutely nowhere.

Friend of mine is from Parsons. Locals say it is billed as the driveway for the DC politicians to their homes in WV. I forget which politician.


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The projects date from like 30 years ago, it was pork spending for senators like Byrd and others, there we supposed to be all these Corridor highways across the Appalachians to improve the economy, etc. Almost none of them are finished, at least according to the original plans.

 

[PapiBarcelona]

I heard VA doesn't want it. I was looking at either MSN, Google or one of those search engine maps, and you could see (by my guess) the projected route of Corridor H where it goes through Wardensville to the Virginia line, marked by blue dots. Not sure why/how that was implemented, but it wasn't off the official US 48 website.

People out there may hate it, but coming from this Suburban yuppie with his big daddy wannabe diesel pickemup truck pulling a trailer and a bed full of stuff, it sure beats driving old 55.

 

[wvuguy88]

I like it. It will allow me to move back to WV so I will be able to make the commute from Davis to cumberland everyday. Already since the Scherr mountain part is open it cuts time from davis to keyser to around 40 mins. Once its all the way out to 93 it will be about a 20 min drive to keyser and another 10-15 mins from keyser to my work. I live in Oakland and drive it everyday now. So it will be about the same distance, only thing is I will be out of this state and be back in West by god