By: Lydia Crawley, The Parsons Advocate
Supporters of The Friends of the Blackwater were on hand with signs in hand and a stack of boxes on a dolly to deliver to Governor Morrisey on Wednesday, April 1st. The group were on hand to seriously deliver more than 3,000 petitions raised over a two month period by the group in an attempt to urge lawmakers to choose the northern route for the completion of Corridor H through Tucker County.
Nearly 20 supporters, made up of advocates, local buisiness owners and community leaders, assembled at the Capital Building outside Governor Morrisey’s office, lead by Friends of the Blackwater Director Judy Rodd, Central to the event was a map of the proposed “Go North” route and a dolly containing seven boxes of petitions for the Governor.
“Its cheaper, it less environmentally damaging, it doesn’t go through old mine tunnels and mine pools where huge amounts of pollution is,” Rodd said. “There is an opportunity here for the Governor to make a good choice. To look to the future, to take the lead…
Rodd in her comments to the press at the event, pointed out such facts as that the ROPA route was outdated and established during the Kennedy administration. She also said that the time had come to investigate alternatives.
“Its very old,” she said. “Its time to look at modern plans in road building and pick a northern route That’s not only better suited to the high mountains, but listens to the voice of the communities.”
Rodd also spoke on the recently publicly acquired Blackwater Canyon. Rodd called the Northern Route an easier and cheaper route for the State to take in the project, while protecting such ecologically delicate areas as the Canyon. The route would also bypass the towns of Davis and Thomas, “so we would no longer get dangerous trucks going right through Thomas.”
However, the ROPA route as outlined during a Public Information Workshop held by the WVDOH in February of 2024, outlined a plan to bypass Thomas altogether. The Plans outlined planned truck routes that would bypass both Davis and Thomas.
“It doesn’t interrupt our economy in the high mountains that is based on outdoor recreation and scenic beauty, “Rodd said.
“Blackwater Canyon, Blackwater State Park, are a huge attraction and our economy is growing the past 10 years.”
Rodd said that the group was not asking to stop Corridor H.
“We want it to be done more quickly and done cheaper and we don’t need a billion dollar bridge over the Blackwater Industrial Complex protected area recognized by the keeper of the National Record,” Rodd said.
Sandra Goss, owner of Sirianni’s restaurant in Davis, spoke at the event about how she felt the ROPA Route would impact her 38 year business. Goss also spoke about what life was like when she was growing up in Thomas and Davis was like when her family first opened the restaurant in 1987. She described the small town life and how it impacted her.
“I walk down the streets sometimes and I hear, ‘I wish I could live here and maybe move here with my children, they could grow up in a small town,’” Goss said. “We’re just trying to preserve that.”
Matt Marcus, former owner of Blackwater Bikes and member of the Blackwater Bicycle Association, spoke about the impact that tourism had on the area. He said the largest industry in the area was tourism.
“Its the number one industry in Tucker County,” Marcus said. “Trails are the foundation of our tourism industry – and when I say trails, that includes ski runs, that includes white water, I’ve included railroad grades and logging routes. Its rich in trail resources.”
Marcus also spoke about the history of trails and the West Virginia Department of Highways in Tucker County. He said that a large section of the Allegheny Highlands Trail has been damaged and unusable for years due to bridge construction of Corridor H outside of Parsons, as well as other issues related to the project and trails.
“Bismark to Davis section of Corridor H has been completed several years ago,” Marcus said. “It was supposed to have a rail trail that went from Davis to Bismark and Federal dollars were acquired for pedestrian facilities along that trail, along Corridor H there, and because of a lawsuit, the trail was not built and it was not even connected to Davis. Its just a road to nowhere kind of trail.”
Marcus finished his comments by speaking on how he felt the bridge over the canyon would “degrade the trial experience” below. He also spoke of the thousands of people a year that use the trail and concerns about how long the trail would be closed for construction of the Blackwater Canyon section.
“Its worth millions of dollars a year for Parsons and for Thomas,” Marcus said. “So how long is that trail going to be closed? They really can’t answer that question.”
The Parsons Advocate asked Rodd about the signatures. According to Rodd, all the signatures were from West Virginians. When asked what percentage of signatures came from Tucker County, she could not immediately answer. Rodd said she would get back with the paper. There has not been a definitive answer as of press time.
“There’s a better way, the Governor can be a hero and leave a legacy,” Rodd said.
