West Virginia Route 2

West Virginia Route 2 marker

Route information

Maintained by WVDOH

Length:

230.6 mi^[1] (371.1 km)

Existed:

1920s – present

Major junctions

South end:

US 60 in Huntington

US 35 near Pt. Pleasant
US 50 near Parkersburg
I‑77 concurrent between Silverton and Parkersburg
US 250 concurrent between Moundsville and Wheeling
I‑470 in Wheeling
I‑70 in Wheeling
US 40 in Wheeling

US 22 in Weirton

North end:

US 30 in Chester

Location

Counties:

Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Pleasants, Wood, Jackson, Mason, Cabell

Highway system

West Virginia Routes

State
County

←

WV 972

WV 3

→

West Virginia Route 2 is a state highway in the US state of West Virginia. It generally parallels the Ohio River along the western border of the state, from U.S. Route 60 in Huntington (just west of the East End Bridge) northeasterly to U.S. Route 30 in Chester (just south of the Jennings Randolph Memorial Bridge).

WV 2 leaves the shores of the Ohio River in two places: between Point Pleasant and Mount Alto (where West Virginia Route 62 follows the river) and between Ravenswood and Waverly (where West Virginia Route 68 mostly follows the river).

History

Chester to Wheeling

WV 2 is a variable two-lane and four-lane highway from its northern terminus at Chester to Wheeling.

A stretch of WV 2 located in northeastern Cabell County

For a time, Route 2 deviated from its current alignment to follow a more northeasterly route from New Cumberland to US 30 via the unincorporated area of New Manchester. The current alignment of WV 2 passing the Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort to US 30 was formerly numbered WV 66 and is reflected as such in many of the county highways in the area. The former routing of WV 2 is now WV 8.

On June 23, 2000, work began on a project that widened WV 2 from two to four lanes from Weirton at US 22 (Robert C. Byrd Expressway) south to CR 8 near Follansbee. The project length was just 0.9 miles. Work was supposed to be complete by June 31, 2001, however, construction wrapped up on October 31 at a cost of $21,444,875.^[2] The project entailed stabilizing the hillside by reshaping the highwall, widening the roadway with four 12-foot (3.7 m) lanes, creating 10-foot (3.0 m) outside shoulders, and 8-foot (2.4 m) interior shoulders. 3.9 million cubic yards of earth were removed during the excavation process.

A roadside hot dog stand located along WV 2

One year later, the highway widening project progressed further south for 2.5 miles (4.0 km).^[3]

There are currently plans to widen WV 2 from two to four lanes from US 22 north to Chester at a cost of $463,900,000; this would include a bypass of New Cumberland and would also correct rockfall hazards along the entire length.^[4] Likewise, a project to widen WV 2 from two to four lanes from Follansbee south to Wheeling is projected to cost $489,500,000. This would connect to an incomplete interchange at Interstate 70 and U.S. Route 250 and include a northern bypass of Wheeling. The projects are ranked 45th and 48th, respectively.

1909 stone masonry rail bridge crossing WV-2 near Point Pleasant

Wheeling to Parkersburg

Within the six-year plan produced by the West Virginia Department of Transportation is a four-lane upgrade for WV 2 between McKeefrey and Parkersburg. Ranked 55th, this project has an estimated price tag of $432,000,000.^[4]

Parkersburg to Huntington

WV 2 was reconstructed from Lesage to Glenwood as an improved two-lane highway with shoulders on a four-lane right-of-way in the mid-1980s. Currently, there are long-range plans to widen WV 2 from WV 193 near Barboursville northeast to Point Pleasant to four lanes at a cost of $237,300,000.^[4] Even further down the road is WV 2 widening from Point Pleasant to Interstate 77 at a cost of $207,300,000. The projects are ranked 86th and 98th,respectively.

Notes

The state route is the subject of Driving Up the Ohio River on Route 2 in Late Fall, a poem by Larry Smith. The poem was featured on the October 26, 2006 edition of The Writer's Almanac radio program.^[5]

Major intersections

County	Location	Destinations	Notes
Cabell	Huntington	US 60 to I‑64 – Downtown Huntington, Proctorville
Cabell		WV 193 south to I‑64 / US 60 – Barboursville
Mason	Henderson	US 35 – Chillicothe, Ohio, Charleston	interchange
	Henderson Point Pleasant	Bartow Jones Bridge over Kanawha River
	Point Pleasant	To WV 62 north / Viand Street – Point Pleasant, Mason
	Point Pleasant	WV 62 north – Mason	south end of WV 62 overlap
		WV 62 south – Buffalo	north end of WV 62 overlap
		WV 87 east – Evans
Jackson	Mount Alto	WV 62 south / WV 331 east – New Haven, Cottageville	south end of WV 62 overlap
		WV 62 north – Ripley	north end of WV 62 overlap
	Ravenswood	US 33 west / WV 68 north – Ravenswood, Columbus, OH	south end of US 33 overlap
	Silverton	I‑77 south / US 33 east / CR 56 east (Green Hills Road) – Ripley, Charleston	north end of US 33 overlap; south end of I-77 overlap; WV 2 south follows exit 146
see I-77
Wood		I‑77 north / WV 68 south (Emerson Avenue) – Marietta, OH, Vienna, Ohio Valley University	north end of I-77 overlap; WV 2 north follows exit 179
		WV 31 south – Deerwalk	south end of WV 31 overlap
		WV 31 north – MOV Regional Airport, Williamstown	north end of WV 31 overlap
Pleasants		To SR 7 / Carpenter Bridge (WV 807) – Newport, OH
Pleasants	St. Marys	WV 16 south – Ellenboro, Pleasants County Park
Tyler	Sistersville	WV 18 south – Middlebourne
Tyler	Sistersville	Charles Street - Sistersville Ferry
Wetzel		WV 180 south – Middlebourne
	New Martinsville	WV 7 east to WV 20	south end of WV 7 overlap
	New Martinsville	SR 7 / New Martinsville Bridge (WV 7 west) – Ohio	interchange; north end of WV 7 overlap
	Proctor	CR 89	former WV 89 east
Marshall		WV 2 Alt. north (Round Bottom Hill Road)
		WV 2 Alt. south / CR 21 (Roberts Ridge Road) – Airport
	Moundsville	To SR 7 / 12th Street / Moundsville Bridge (WV 2 Spur) – Bellaire, OH, Powhatan Point, OH
		US 250 south – Central Business District, Cameron, Grand Vue Park	south end of US 250 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance
		To US 250 south / 7th Street – Grand Vue Park
	Glen Dale	WV 86 north
	McMechen	East Baltimore Street - McMechen	northbound exit only
		12th Street - McMechen
		3rd Street - McMechen	northbound access only; south end of freeway
	Benwood	South Marshall Street - Benwood, McMechen
		Bellaire Bridge	former interchange
		4th Street - Benwood
		CR 1 (Boggs Run Road)
Ohio	Wheeling	I‑470 / 26th Street	I-470 exit 1
		US 250 north to I‑70 – Columbus, Washington	interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance; north end of US 250 overlap; north end of freeway
		10th Street (Wheeling Suspension Bridge)
		I‑70 / US 40 west – Columbus, Washington	south end of US 40 overlap; I-70 exit 1A
		US 40 east (National Road) to I‑70 east	north end of US 40 overlap
Brooke	Wellsburg	WV 67 east – Bethany, West Liberty University, Bethany College
	Wellsburg	WV 27 east (10th Street)
	Follansbee	WV 27 Alt. east
		Market Street Bridge - Steubenville
		US 22 west – Steubenville, Ohio	interchange; south end of US 22 overlap; WV 2 south follows exit 1
	Weirton Junction	US 22 east – Pittsburgh	interchange; north end of US 22 overlap; WV 2 north follows exit 2
Hancock	Weirton	CR 507 east (Cove Road)
	Weirton	WV 105 east (Penn Avenue)
	New Cumberland	WV 8 north – New Manchester
	Newell	Newell Toll Bridge
	Chester	US 30 – East Liverpool, Pittsburgh	interchange
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi