An important section of the King Coal Highway and a portion of the Beckley Z-Way bypass project are among 25 projects in a bid letting conducted by the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.
One project included in this round of bid letting is: Main Street ADA ramps, Clay. (Clay County). More details will be released at a later date.
The King Coal Highway project will extend the existing four-lane highway for about 1.5 miles from Mountain View and create a connector to the town of Gilbert along Gilbert Creek. The project will be funded with money from Gov Jim Justice’s $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program.
The King Coal Highway is an approximately 95-mile four lane highway that will run through McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Wyoming, and Wayne counties along or near currently existing US 52. The highway will connect US 119 near Williamson to Interstate 77 in Bluefield, and is intended to open up the Mountain State’s coalfields to economic development and connect the region with markets to the north and south. It is part of a federally designated north-south corridor running from Michigan’s upper peninsula to the Carolinas.
The Beckley Z-Way project connects Beaver with South Eisenhower Drive in Beckley, and is designed to ease congestion in the area by widening and relocating a portion of US 19. Funding is through Gov. Justice’s Roads to Prosperity program.