Corridor H
A recent article about Corridor H appeared in the Tucker County Observer. The article was written by Robbie Morris, chairman of the Corridor H Highway Authority, a state entity created to oversee the development, promotion, and construction of Corridor H in West Virginia. His Observer article addressed the segment between Parsons and Davis. Morris’s article warrants a response.
Splitting the towns of Davis and Thomas
Morris correctly stated that the WV Division of Highways (DOH) responded to public input and relocated the Davis interchange to near the current end of the 4-lane. Not acknowledged: the plan should never have had the interchange at Rt. 32; the change should not have been necessary: local citizens simply pointed that out.
Morris suggested that DOH mitigated the negative effects of splitting the two towns by having Corridor H pass under Rt. 32 as an underpass. Rt. 32 traffic exiting Corridor H would arrive via a feeder road from the new intersection. Citizens proposed moving the intersection east to eliminate years of construction disruption between Davis and Thomas. If DOH adds an underpass, it simply shifts the construction issues from an intersection to an underpass; construction will still be disruptive and will impact residents for years.
In the paragraph about moving the Davis intersection, Morris referenced access to the High School. He specifically responded to the issue of having to make left-hand turns to access the school, which he claimed DOH had remedied. This is not the issue citizens raised! The left-turn issue concerns Davis-Thomas Elementary Middle School.
Thomas Bypass
The Thomas Bypass was recently added to a drawing of the old ROPA (Revised Original Preferred Alignment) as “a possibility” to keep trucks off Thomas’ streetst; The ROPA itself contains no Thomas Bypass. The bypass has not been included on official drawings, although it was shown unofficially last fall. It was amended from its original depiction to route all Davis-traffic going north around Thomas. Downtown Thomas traffic will require a left-hand turn across traffic near the ballfield. One might envision a simple left-turn lane on the northbound roadway, but frequent winter fog and snow often reduce visibility to near zero–a seriously unsafe condition. Will a stoplight be needed?
A similar dangerous condition exists at the bypass intersection on the north side of Thomas: should there be another traffic light? A major issue: Thomas does not want all traffic to bypass it; that would be totally destructive to local businesses. Thomas wants the ever-increasing number of through trucks off the main streets. Importantly, the bypass cost is not included in any project cost estimate. There has not been any assurance from DOH that the bypass will be built.
Bypass traffic scenario
Picture a truck coming from Moorefield, bound for Oakland. The truck exits the interstate at the newly located Davis interchange, takes a feeder road to Rt. 32, then turns right on Rt. 32 to proceed 0.7 miles to a stoplight (?) at the ballfield before turning right and taking the bypass around Thomas. No problem: The issues arise while traveling in the other direction.
A truck coming from Oakland bound for Moorefield will enter the bypass north of Thomas, then make a cross-traffic left turn before proceeding to the ballfield. It will then make a second left-hand cross-traffic turn before driving 0.7 miles to make a third cross-traffic left-hand turn to take the feeder road out to the Davis intersection. Another traffic light?
NOTE: ALL north and southbound Corridor H traffic will now be forced onto a 0.7-mile stretch of Rt. 32 between Davis and Thomas–requiring, for safety, potentially two traffic lights! There is a superior alternative: the Northern Route.
Bridges
Morris suggests that the historic coke ovens and Blackwater Canyon challenges can be addressed with a wide-span bridge, but the cost has not been shown. Local citizens are suggesting a route that doesn’t require such an expensive, single-arch, wide-span bridge over the Blackwater Canyon. DOH asserts that this bridge will not be visible or audible from the pristine environment of Blackwater Falls State Park, Lindy Point, or Douglas Falls; however, it will certainly be visible from many other tourist attractions. There is another route Corridor H can take–the Northern Route that removes all these concerns of extraordinary bridge cost, sight, and sound.
Cost and Inconvenience
The ROPA from many years ago is purportedly “less expensive.” One has to ask: less expensive than what? The only ROPA price we have seen does not include the new Davis interchange and feeder road, nor does it include the Rt. 32 underpass; it does not include the Thomas bypass; it does not include the newly designed wide-span bridge over the Blackwater Canyon. What is the ROPA cost when these additional costs are included? I suggest the Northern Route will be less expensive and completed sooner, with significantly less impact on local communities..
How about we factor in the inconvenience and disruption of constructing an underpass near the landfill? And the forever inconvenience of many more trucks and much more traffic that will be present on the local road, Rt. 32 between Davis and the ballfield’s Thomas bypass traffic light.
Suggested “Northern Route” concept–considering only traffic flow
The more reasonable plan is for Corridor H to veer right, toward the north, near the current end of the 4-lane, connecting with Rt. 219 on the north side of Thomas. Corridor H then continues across the north fork of the Blackwater, on a much simpler, less expensive bridge. The road then connects with the ROPA route near Douglass. There is no longer a need for an additional Thomas bypass; this road will serve as the Thomas bypass! Zero additional truck traffic is routed onto Rt. 32 between Davis and Thomas.
Current ROPA design–traffic flow pattern
As planned per the ROPA underpass modification, Corridor H will continue along its current path past the Davis intersection and pass under Rt 32 near the landfill. All local traffic will exit at the Davis intersection and take a feeder road to Rt. 32. Trucks, in fact, all vehicles going to Oakland will pass through Thomas.
Issues
There will be challenges with the Northern Route, of course. Concerns have been raised about the Thomas watershed, but DOH is mandated to mitigate any water issues; highways are built over watersheds worldwide. As an added benefit,this project should ameliorate the known challenges with Thomas’s current water supply system. Some properties may need to be displaced. This happens in all construction projects.
A Northern Route is not new: DOH has shown a Northern Route concept drawing with an alignment that connects to the original ROPA, but, as described above, notably bypasses Davis and the Blackwater Canyon.
A new issue is the prospect of a power plant/data center that will partially sit on land where the Northern Route passes from the Davis to the Thomas intersections. For many reasons, opponents of the power plant location want the power plant moved further east, out Rt. 48. Moving the power plant less than a mile from its proposed location would facilitate construction of the Northern Route. As an added bonus, construction and power plant traffic will stay off Rt. 32.
Many sources indicate that the Northern Route is the locally preferred alternative. DOH has promised new information this month, February 2026. We look forward to what they share.
William Peterson
Davis, WV
