Tell Highway Officials: Choose the Corridor H Route Wisely!

The Federal Highway Administration has announced that they will conduct a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for a northern route for Corridor H (Parsons to Davis) and the current proposed route.

Officials are currently taking comments to study the two possible routes.

  1. Information about the current proposed route is available here.
  2. Information about the northern route is also available here.

We commend officials for conducting a SEIS for the Parsons to Davis portion of Corridor H. Highway officials should select the route with the least environmental impacts.

Highway officials must carefully consider multiple critical factors when selecting the most environmentally sound route for Corridor H:

  • Avoid impacts to public lands in the Monongahela National Forest
  • Reduce impacts on sensitive, high-quality trout streams
  • Minimize impacts on endangered species such as the Virginia Big-Eared Bat and the Cheat Mountain Salamander
  • Preserve scenic vistas like Lindy Point in Blackwater Falls State Park; and protect other public lands and waterfalls
  • Maintain public access to historic and cultural sites
  • Avoid adverse effects on the North Fork of the Blackwater River and eligibility of the Blackwater River as a national Wild & Scenic River
  • Learn from previous violations during the construction of other sections of Corridor H to avoid additional environmental impacts
  • Avoid abandoned mine lands
  • Consider impacts on the quality of life in Davis and Thomas

Please take a moment and send a message to state and federal highway officials about Corridor H at this link. Your comments will be directed to FHWA, and WV DOH will receive notice of your comment as well.

Ask highway officials to conduct a thorough analysis of the Parson to Davis section of Corridor H so the public can understand the environmental impacts of both routes proposed.

Please submit your comments by March 27, 2024, at 5 p.m.

Thank you for your advocacy,

WV Rivers Coalition

P.S. WV Rivers and Friends of the Cheat are hosting an informative training session on visual monitoring techniques for highway construction on Sunday, March 24, 2024, from 1:00 – 4:00 pm at the Parsons Community Center (96 Parkwood Lane Parsons, WV 26287). You can RSVP here.