CHARLESTON — Gov. Jim Justice announced today that he has approved a bid award for the construction of an approximately 3-mile section of Corridor H in Tucker County; a major project in Gov. Justice’s Roads to Prosperity program.
A.L.L. Construction Inc. was the lowest of five bidders for the project, with a bid of $49,488,494. An additional 15 percent of the bid amount will be added to the bid and set aside for erosion and sediment control to protect the environment.
The contract calls for grading and drainage work for a 3.08-mile section of highway to be built starting near the Cheat River Bridge. The winning bid was less than the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) Engineer’s Estimate of $71,772,000 including erosion and sediment control.
“I congratulate everyone involved in the next leg of this important project,” Gov. Justice said. “I’ve said over and over, Corridor H is one of, if not the most important highway that we need to finish in West Virginia. It’s so vital because it links us right to D.C. It will bring population growth and businesses and more opportunities will follow.”
The contract is part of a larger project that began in Randolph County and will extend the four-lane from the Cheat River Bridge to the Roaring Run Bridge near Mackeyville. The earthwork is an important step in the construction of the next section of Corridor H.
The work is vital to create a path for the new four-lane highway to follow. Contractors are expecting to move about 8 million cubic yards of earth to make way for the road; that’s enough dirt to fill more than 2,400 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The WVDOH has already obtained rights of way for the project.
Corridor H begins in Weston and travels across central West Virginia, to eventually link up with Interstate 81 in Strasburg, Virginia. The highway is expected to open some of West Virginia’s most remote areas in Grant, Tucker, and Hardy counties to economic development, speed travel times through the mountains and provide a smooth, safe highway for travelers and local residents.
More than 120 miles of Corridor H are currently open to traffic, with about 30 miles left to complete.
To date, more than $1.93 billion has been spent on the four-lane highway.
The completion of Corridor H has been in the works for decades but stalled out years ago. However, when Gov. Justice took office and instituted his Roads To Prosperity program, additional funding began to be secured and work on the corridor picked back up.
“We continue to work really hard on Corridor H and all of our roads across this great state,” Gov. Justice added. “Everywhere you go, you’re seeing road improvements and orange cones.”
Construction is expected to begin this fall. The project currently has an estimated completion date of late 2025.
