Published: June 24, 2008 04:48 pm      

Sen. Byrd was right: We may not see highways completed in our lifetime

I came to a somewhat eye-opening realization last week while attending the groundbreaking ceremonies on the new Shawnee Parkway.

Shortly after arriving at the construction site, I realized this was the third highway groundbreaking I have attended over the last seven years. Back in the year 2000 — when we flipped the calendar over to a brand new millennium — ground also was broken on the Coalfields Expressway in McDowell County. I remember joining Daily Telegraph Executive Editor Tom Colley at the ceremony. I think Tom and I drove to Welch together, although I can’t remember for sure. U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., was the keynote speaker for the ceremony. He delivered a poignant yet candid assessment of the long-awaited highway project — even warning that it may not be completed in our lifetime.

About two years later, I covered the official groundbreaking ceremony on the first phase of the King Coal Highway in Bluefield — the K.A. Ammar Interchange project. Whereas hundreds packed the cafeteria of Mount View High School in Welch for the groundbreaking on the Coalfields Expressway, if I remember correctly the groundbreaking for the first phase of the King Coal Highway was actually held at the construction site. Thus, there wasn’t quite as large of a crowd on hand for the historic ceremony.

Now, about seven years later, I was charged with covering the groundbreaking ceremony on the Shawnee Parkway in Ghent. Interestingly, not much has changed over the past eight years. Work on the Coalfields Expressway has stalled in McDowell County, but continues in Raleigh County. Work on our new King Coal Highway bridge project continues in Bluefield, but we are still not much closer toward reaching Route 123, the Mercer County Airport, or the site of the proposed multi-purpose equestrian park. Maybe Sen. Byrd was correct. We may not see these two highway projects completed in our lifetime.

Now, we are faced with the challenge of completing not only the King Coal Highway and the Coalfields Expressway, but also the Shawnee Parkway. It took officials 22 years to get construction started on the Shawnee Parkway. Hopefully, it won’t take that long to complete the scenic two-lane corridor.

The scenic roadway will extend 22 miles from Ghent in Raleigh County to the mountaintop ridges of Mercer County before it ultimately connects with the King Coal Highway near Crumpler in McDowell County. The road began as a vision in 1986 by Bill Harvey, a retired coal miner from Spanishburg, who was joined by several other local residents in fighting for the scenic corridor, including William Sanders of Princeton.

Work is now about 16 percent complete on the first 1.22 miles of the roadway near the border of Mercer and Raleigh counties in the Ghent community. Just like the shovel Sen. Byrd used inside the cafeteria of Mount View High School in 2000, the ceremony in Ghent was largely symbolic. In actuality, construction crews have already been working on the road for several weeks. That’s why it is already about 16 percent complete. Design work also has been completed on a second segment of the road that will extend the Shawnee Parkway into Mercer County. Unfortunately, it will take additional federal and state dollars to get the scenic corridor across the borders of Raleigh and Mercer counties.

The new road seeks to improve emergency response times in the three counties, and to promote new tourism and economic development across the region. It is envisioned as a scenic roadway traversing high ridges and picturesque mountains.

Having grown up in McDowell County, and having spent a good 18 years of my life traveling up and down the dangerous and antiquated highway corridor known as U.S. Route 52, I realize the critical importance of a new regional highway system, including the King Coal Highway, the Coalfields Expressway and the Shawnee Parkway. We need a new four-lane highway to open up McDowell County. There are very few passing opportunities on Route 52, and you are all but assured to get stuck behind either a coal truck or logging truck when traveling on Route 52 between Bluefield and Welch. And did I forget to mention how awful the road is in the winter? Terrible. Not a good roadway to travel on when it snows or sleets. Simply a nightmare.

We need the new roads. We need a completed four-lane corridor of the King Coal Highway, and a completed four-lane corridor of the Coalfields Expressway. We also need the scenic two-lane corridor of the Shawnee Parkway. While it is true that these roads may not be finished in our lifetime, hopefully our children and grandchildren will reap the benefits of the future four-lane corridors.

Charles Owens is the Daily Telegraph’s city editor.

Contact him at cowens@bdtonline.com.