Press Release

Court Decision Stops Corridor H Construction Pending History Evaluations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A spokesman for Corridor H Alternatives says the group welcomes the Feb. 9 court decision which requires West Virginia Division of Highways to finish evaluating historic sites before beginning any construction on the proposed 100-mile four-lane through West Virginia's highlands.

The U.S. Court of Appeals decision continues an injunction that halted bulldozers east of Elkins in November. The court ruled that West Virginia Division of Highways and the Federal Highway Administration had unlawfully drawn up final design plans for the highway, and had let bids for construction, without first evaluating its effects on all histoic sites and public recreation areas.

While the three-judge panel did not require that the highway agencies study the alternative of improving the entire area highway network, Corridor H Alternatives spokesman Hugh Rogers said, "We could still have sections of improved two-lane roads in order to avoid historic sites." He also noted that even with the huge TEA-21 appropriations and authorizations, the state has less than half the money needed to build the$1.5 billion superhighway.

The West Virginia Division of Highways said it would take approximately eight months to complete the studies of historic sites in the path of the proposed Corridor H between Elkins, W.Va and the Virginia line. "During this period, we plan to continue our public education campaign," Rogers said. "We want people to know that we can have better, safer roads without destroying what is good and valuable in our area. The Potomac and Allegheny Highlands have many special places in danger of being destroyed--not only areas of natural beauty and rarity, but also our Civil War battlefields and other historic sites."

Rogers added, "Even our Main Street towns and county seats are an endangered species. A four-lane corridor would bypass towns like Petersburg, Parsons and Romney, and the so-called economic development would simply move their business to strip malls at the interchanges."