Topic: What was the reason I-79 was built through WV?

[W0lfman]

Anyone know the story?  Everytime I've traveled that road i never see anyone else on it.  Just curious.

[sluggo]

so people in Charleston know how to get to Morgantown on gameday Saturdays??

[marcbuff]

sluggo is exactly right- no kidding , no WVU baiting for you guys- just the facts it was. Of course, it also opens the Appalachian Region to Pittsburgh and Buffalo as well.

[W0lfman]

sluggo is exactly right- no kidding , no WVU baiting for you guys- just the facts it was. Of course, it also opens the Appalachian Region to Pittsburgh and Buffalo as well.

You are kidding, right?

[marcbuff]

No Wolf, Im sure there were overall national plans for the system but I remember when it was built. That was one of the main topics of conversation. Plus the fact that WVU was left out of the ACC in 1953 a lot due to poor travel up to Morgantown.

[IM4DHERD]

The Eishenhower Interstate system, with 90% of the expense borne by the Feds and 10% of the expense borne by the state, pretty much said where the roads would start and end.  States had say as to how they got there.  79 was not built for people to get to a 30,000 seat stadium in the early 70's.  State didn't decide to build it because of the ACC in '53...It wasn't even started until '69 or so.  In fact, they didn't decide to build it at all.  Feds said start it in Charleston, where 64 and 77 were planned to converge, and get to where PA can pick it up to go through Pittsburgh up to Erie to connect to Buffalo and Canada.  WV decided the route based on the largest population centers along the way that could benefit by it.

[marcbuff]

still it was a major topic of conversation about travel to games.

[IM4DHERD]

No doubt...I remember in High School, many parents were sure happy about the idea that it wouldn't take 6 hours to get their kids there and back, but that is a result of the decision, not the cause. 

[TheGeneralHerd]

For AC DC to write their famous song  ;)

[luvherd]

Doug is right on. Theoretically interstates were built to move the military.

[IM4DHERD]

Thought it was interstate commerce.  Military?  Through the US?   I think conspiracy theories are colliding here  :D

[jocktalker]

Anyone know the story?  Everytime I've traveled that road i never see anyone else on it.  Just curious.

President Eisenhower envisioned a modern interstate system during his presidency to support greater interstate commerce, travel and for military use during a national emergency.

West Virginia was virtually the last state to seek funding.  Prior to I-79 and I-70, the only interstate portions were the result of bordering states initiating road construction.  That's why you had small sections of I-64 from Kentucky to Huntington/Charleston, I-70 through Wheeling and I-81 in the Eastern Panhandle near Martinsburg.

I-79 is  a major snow bird route for Canadians going south to Florida in the winter and to North & South Carolina in the summer.  However, much of the southbound traffic cuts off at Flatwoods, picks up US 19 through Summersville into Beckley to catch I-77 in Beckley.  I-79 primarily serves to provide state access to Charleston for most WVians.

[mckayt]

I see plenty of cars on I-79 when I am forced to head north; especially a lot of Canadians.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-79

[Ovaltine Jenkins]

I-79 makes much more sense than I-64 going through Beckley to link with I-77 in WV and I-81/64 in VA instead of the more natural route along Route 60 to 81 and creating a direct route from Huntington to Charlottesville and Richmond.  Because of then-Governor Hughlett Smith who was from Beckley and originally proposed this route which was upheld by Arch Moore after a 5 year study of the Route 60 plan, a trip from the DC, Richmond or the Tidewater areas to Huntington takes at least 90 minutes longer than it should.  What forward thinking.

[sluggo]

I-79 makes much more sense than I-64 going through Beckley to link with I-77 in WV and I-81/64 in VA instead of the more natural route along Route 60 to 81 and creating a direct route from Huntington to Charlottesville and Richmond.  Because of then-Governor Hughlett Smith who was from Beckley and originally proposed this route which was upheld by Arch Moore after a 5 year study of the Route 60 plan, a trip from the DC, Richmond or the Tidewater areas to Huntington takes at least 90 minutes longer than it should.  What forward thinking.

Just ask anyone in Charleston, they will say, 'the sun revolves around us, all roads lead to us'.  why don't we have a 'midway' airport, because the sun revolves around Charleston.

How about Cor G??  People from Logan used to use 10 to get to Huntington, but Charleston didn't like that, too many Loganites buiying cars in Huntington, so now route all that traffic to Charleston!!

[jocktalker]

I-79 makes much more sense than I-64 going through Beckley to link with I-77 in WV and I-81/64 in VA instead of the more natural route along Route 60 to 81 and creating a direct route from Huntington to Charlottesville and Richmond.  Because of then-Governor Hughlett Smith who was from Beckley and originally proposed this route which was upheld by Arch Moore after a 5 year study of the Route 60 plan, a trip from the DC, Richmond or the Tidewater areas to Huntington takes at least 90 minutes longer than it should.  What forward thinking.

Beaver:

You lost me.  I-79 is a north/south interstate while I-64 is east/west.  I-64 goes from Huntington to Beckley to White Sulphur Springs and into Virginia.  That highway replaced old US 60. 

Rockefeller was responsible for the delays to complete I-64.  Arch Moore is responsible for finishing that segment of interstate and it runs right through Beckley.  What resulted in adding 90 minutes to your trip to the Tidewater area?

[herds]

I-79 makes much more sense than I-64 going through Beckley to link with I-77 in WV and I-81/64 in VA instead of the more natural route along Route 60 to 81 and creating a direct route from Huntington to Charlottesville and Richmond.  Because of then-Governor Hughlett Smith who was from Beckley and originally proposed this route which was upheld by Arch Moore after a 5 year study of the Route 60 plan, a trip from the DC, Richmond or the Tidewater areas to Huntington takes at least 90 minutes longer than it should.  What forward thinking.

haters gonna hate...

but seriously, if it had gone on the origional path of Rt 60, what population centers of any importance would it have gone through? By dropping it to Beckley, you increase travel on the turnpike and further connect the Beckley/ Raleigh County area.

If it had stayed on its origional path of rt 60, it would have gone through Rainelle/ Rupert...... Not to mention it would have disturbed sensitive areas like the NRG and Hawks Nest

[marcbuff]

The interstates were built under the National Defense Highway Act for the MILITARY. In time of war or crisis we are not allowed on the interstates ONLY the military . The ONLY time that was ever enforced was during the Cuban Missile Crisis and ONLY on I-95 in Florida.

[sluggo]

Beaver:

You lost me.  I-79 is a north/south interstate while I-64 is east/west.  I-64 goes from Huntington to Beckley to White Sulphur Springs and into Virginia.  That highway replaced old US 60. 

Rockefeller was responsible for the delays to complete I-64.  Arch Moore is responsible for finishing that segment of interstate and it runs right through Beckley.  What resulted in adding 90 minutes to your trip to the Tidewater area?

somebody made it go thru Beckley.  If you look on a map and draw a level line the 64 that goes thru huntington/charleston would almost connect to the 64 that hooks into 81!!  Beckley is about 1 hr south and out of the way.
Now if we did that, it would make Summersville about 30 min at most from Charleston and then almost a straight shot to Snow Shoe!!  so that trip instead of up and down and around for 3 1/2 -4 hrs would be about 2 1/2

[IM4DHERD]

That probably had more to do with 77 being already cut through those mountains...Cutting through again to save 90 minutes to DC would have cost mutli-millions more.  The system is to tie together population centers and there isn't any in mid-mountain WV to tie together.  If you look at WV, every population center is served by an Interstate.

[herds]

somebody made it go thru Beckley.  If you look on a map and draw a level line the 64 that goes thru huntington/charleston would almost connect to the 64 that hooks into 81!!  Beckley is about 1 hr south and out of the way.
Now if we did that, it would make Summersville about 30 min at most from Charleston and then almost a straight shot to Snow Shoe!!  so that trip instead of up and down and around for 3 1/2 -4 hrs would be about 2 1/2

64 was never going to go near snowshoe, it was going to follow 60 SE to Lewisburg. VA always had planned on 64 entering wv near covington following US 60. The only 2 things accomplished by moving I-64 from following 60 from charleston to lewisburg to following the turnpike(I-77) to beckley and then to lewisburg was saving money due to less new road being made and making the new E/W corridor availible to a much larger swath of people.

[wvmafia]

Regardless of who is right or wrong on here, it would have to be said that it wasn't a well planned corridor.  The WV portion of the road is the most desolate road around.  I've driven through New Mexico and not been as bored as that stretch of hell.

[2xBison]

sluggo is exactly right- no kidding , no WVU baiting for you guys- just the facts it was. Of course, it also opens the Appalachian Region to Pittsburgh and Buffalo as well.

that's what happens when eerdiots get power.

you can pretty much get to pittsburgh from charleston about as fast heading up 77 then cutting over on 22.  and a big strectch of that is 2 lane.  i do it all the time for the pretty drive.  plus don't like driving through that %^&* hole around exits 150 - 155.

[IM4DHERD]

When the feds say "We want a road and are willing to pay 90% of it and use WV materials and manpower to build it", you don't tell them you are fine with the way things are just to avoid Morgantown.

79 also provided the only avenue to MD/DC from the West for years and years.

It's like when some were ecstatic with the US not getting  a home Olympics because they hated Obama...Some here would rather stay in the stone ages than have an Interstate highway that happens to lead through the 3rd most populous area of the state. 

[wvmafia]

It's like when some were ecstatic with the US not getting  a home Olympics because they hated Obama...Some here would rather stay in the stone ages than have an Interstate highway that happens to lead through the 3rd most populous area of the state. 

I don't consider myself a knuckle dragger, but I'm 100% against anything that aids wvu in any way.  So, if that makes me a Neanderthal, so be it!