We missed our window to develop a regional airport between Huntington and Charleston. Land has been developed.
I was on the Huntington Chamber of Commerce Exec. Cttee during the time when the regional airport was being seriously discussed. A couple of things: We had the $$ to build it, and the infrastructure to support it. Sen. Byrd had secured the funding for the "waypark" and the state had committed to the access roads, water lines, sewer lines, power structures, etc. to make it happen. Land had been selected although not, obviously, secured.
Fed Ex had committed to bringing a regional sorting facility to the regional airport. Two of the three major airlines serving Charleston and Htgn back then committed to coming to the regional airport (US Air and either Delta or United - can't remember which). The Air National Guard was interested but they also were interested in having Yeager to themselves, so that was still up in the air.
The only caveat from Sen. Byrd was that Charleston had to be all-in. We met with the leaders of Charleston probably 1/2 dozen times during the late 1990s and into the 2000s, particularly Mayor Kemp Melton who (in my opinion) never had the intellectual understanding of what a regional airport would mean to the metro valley. He was not the problem, however - Kent Carper, who still is a Kanawha County Commissioner in spite of being arrested last year for showing his willy to a female in one of Charleston's parks, was the real opposition. He actively lobbied against it, telling us one time, "Why would I want to drive 1/2 hour to an airport when I can have one 10 minutes from my office?" Unbelievably short sighted and parochial.
Then... 9/11 happened. All of the available $$ dried up and went to Homeland Security and we missed the window.
I still think that it could have been a game-changer for the corridor.