U.S. Route 48
U.S. Route 48, also known as the incomplete Corridor H of the Appalachian Development Highway System, extends from Interstate 79 in Weston, West Virginia, eastward across the crest of the Allegheny Mountains to I-81 in Strasburg, Virginia. It is planned to extend from northwestern Virginia to central West Virginia.
The route is planned as a four-lane divided highway and has been constructed in segments, most of which are open. The westernmost portion from Weston to Lorentz was constructed in the 1970s; the extension east to Elkins was constructed in the early 1990s, and the segment between Davis and Wardensville was constructed in segments which opened during 2002–2016. As of 2020, two segments are not yet upgraded and remain having the U.S. 48 designation: Kerens–Davis and Wardensville–Strasburg.
West Virginia's segment of Corridor H crosses very mountainous terrain, some of the most rugged in the eastern United States, and crosses two major rivers. There are more than 1000 historic structures, five historic districts, two Civil War battlefields, and other archaeological sites within of Corridor H, and the highway crosses through two national forests. There are over 50 species of plants and animals that are protected under the Endangered Species Act and more than 150 native trout streams, thousands of acres of wetlands and high mountain bogs, areas of karst terrain, and abandoned coal mines within the Corridor H study area.
Two previous highways were designated as US 48. The first, in California, was incorporated into the route of US 50; the second, in western Maryland and West Virginia, was redesignated Interstate 68.
Route description
West Virginia
US 48 begins as a four-lane divided highway at an interchange with Interstate 79 outside Weston. It follows the valley of Stonecoal Creek and then Fink Run until it crosses the Buckhannon River at Buckhannon. It then cuts across the Allegheny Plateau, and crosses through the water gap of the Tygart Valley River between Rich Mountain and Laurel Mountain to reach Elkins.It then travels north up the Leading Creek valley. At Kerens the divided highway ends, and the US 48 designation follows U.S. Route 219 as it continues up Leading Creek, turns east across to travel down Haddix Run, crosses the Cheat River at Parsons, and then crosses the Allegheny Mountains highlands to Thomas. At this point, it briefly follows West Virginia Route 32 to Davis, after which it again becomes a four-lane divided highway. US 48 travels up Beaver Creek and passes by Mount Storm Lake.
US 48 then descends the Allegheny Front near Bismarck. It then crosses Patterson Creek Mountain to reach Moorefield, where it crosses the South Branch Potomac River. It then ascends South Branch Mountain, during which it crosses the Clifford Hollow Bridge, and then descends to Baker. The highway then follows the Lost River and Cacapon River down to Wardensville, where the four-lane highway again ends. It then ascends to the ridge of Great North Mountain, where it crosses the border into Virginia.
Virginia
US 48 is fully signed along the portion of current State Route 55 west of I-81. The route begins at the West Virginia state line at the highway's summit of Great North Mountain, signed as US 48 and WV 55 from Wardensville. Entering Virginia, US 48 heads northeast as two-lane Wardensville Pike through George Washington National Forest and descends the mountain to the settlement of Star Tannery, where the highway leaves Frederick County by crossing Cedar Creek. The road's name changes to John Marshall Highway, and it passes around the northern end of Little North Mountain near the community of Wheatfield, turning south. US 48 passes through the Shenandoah County communities of Lebanon Church and Clary on its way to a diamond interchange with I-81, which serves as US 48's eastern terminus.History
The Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 was passed as part of an effort to stimulate economic growth in Appalachian rural areas. The Appalachian Regional Commission was created by the act, which also authorized the ARC to create the Appalachian Development Highway System. The Appalachian region, as defined by the act, stretches from Mississippi to New York. Congress defined it to "provide a highway system which, in conjunction with the Interstate System and other Federal-aid highways in the Appalachian region, will open up an area or areas where commerce and communication have been inhibited by lack of adequate access". Some 23 transportation corridors were to be developed as part of the ADHS, and Corridor H was designated in 1965.Corridor H has had a particularly controversial history as conservationists and environmentalists vied with federal agents, developers and the business community over the issue of what constituted the most environmentally sensitive route among several alternatives.
This current designation for Corridor H is inconsistent with the AASHTO numbering scheme, which places east–west U.S. Routes in ascending numerical order southward across the continental U.S. The current route is located south of US 50 and north of US 60 and therefore should have a route number in the 50s. However, there are no unused even numbers in the 50s, since US 52, US 54, US 56, and US 58 already exist.
Corridor H was originally envisioned as an Appalachian Regional Development corridor highway that was to run from Weston, West Virginia, to Strasburg or New Market, Virginia, via Elkins, West Virginia. This proposed four-lane highway soon became one of the most controversial APD corridor highways in West Virginia that would lead to numerous legal battles within the state. The state was forced to deal with numerous environmental and economic issues, a battle that would continue for 40 years.
Lawsuits and settlements
Corridor H Alternatives filed a lawsuit, the first for the project since its realignment, in U.S. District Court in November 1996 challenging the Record of Decision for the entire Corridor H project. The lawsuit stated that the Federal Highway Administration violated the National Environmental Policy Act by "failing to consider an improved roadway alternative and by failing to prepare a Supplemental EIS to consider the impacts of the Corrick's Ford Battlefield alignment shift." The lawsuit further states that the FHWA "violated laws by issuing a Record of Decision prior to completing the evaluation of Corridor H's impacts" on historic structures and lands.In 1997, briefs were filed and oral arguments took place. In October, the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the Federal Highway Administration and the West Virginia Department of Transportation on all counts, however, CHA appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Briefs were once again filed in 1998 and oral arguments were presented throughout the year. In September, the CHA filed a second lawsuit that challenged the FHWA's findings of "no constructive" use for two properties. In November of that year, the Court system ordered the Department of Transportation to halt construction of Corridor H except for a section near Elkins.
In 1999, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the FHWA and the West Virginia Department of Transportation on the first lawsuit. On the second lawsuit, the court ruled in favor of CHA, stating that "all studies of historic properties must be completed before construction proceeds." In March, the Court dismissed the second lawsuit without prejudice, and allowed the CHA to file a new lawsuit challenging the decisions of the FHWA and the West Virginia Department of Transportation when Section 106/section 4 is complete for the entire Corridor H project. In May, a court order was produced that prohibited the FHWA from proceeding further with Corridor H until they have completed the Section 106 process and issued an amended Record of Decision. There were two exceptions to this however: work was allowed to proceed on the "Northern Elkins Bypass" and design work was allowed to proceed. This was the segment of Corridor H between Elkins and Kerens, or Phase I.
In December 1999, an agreement was reached. The Corridor H project was to be divided into nine separate projects from Elkins, West Virginia, to the Virginia state line. As stated in the agreement, impacts were to be avoided near Corricks Ford/Shavers Fork Valley and Blackwater Canyon; the completion of ongoing studies; and the deferment of the Wardensville, West Virginia, to Virginia state line segment with final design and right-of-way acquisition restricted until specific conditions are met not to exceed 20 years. This delay could be shortened if Virginia approves their section of Corridor H between the West Virginia state line and Interstate 81, if traffic increases significantly on WV 55 between Wardensville and the state line, or if it is required to ensue eligibility for Appalachian highway corridor funding.
The agreement also established alternative dispute resolution procedures and that the plaintiffs were to waive the right to bring future lawsuits against the FHWA and the West Virginia Department of Transportation that would seek any further study of any alternative that does not include completing Corridor H as a continuous four-lane highway.
One of the leading firms on the Corridor H project, the Michael Baker Corporation, proposed and designed two wetland mitigation sites. In addition, Baker, in conjunction with the West Virginia Department of Highways and the Federal Highway Administration, developed a "comprehensive mitigation plan for vegetative, water quality, acid drainage and wildlife issues for the entire 100+-mile long project."
Michael Baker Corporation's scientists also completed extensive surveys for endangered plant and animal species. Identified were the buffalo clover, the Indiana bat, the Virginia big-eared bat, Cheat Mountain salamander and the West Virginia northern flying squirrel. Based on this, Baker assisted the Department of Highways and the FHWA in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to prepare a biological assessment for the Indiana bat, which resulted in a finding that Corridor H will not adversely affect the habitat. A formal consultation is ongoing for the West Virginia northern flying squirrel.