U.S. Route 52 in West Virginia

U.S. Route 52 marker

U.S. Route 52
Route information
Maintained by WVDOH
Existed: 1926 – present
Major junctions
South end: I‑77 / US 52 at Rocky Gap, VA
 
North end: US 52 near Chesapeake, OH
Highway system
← WV 51WV 53 →

U.S. Route 52 (US 52) skirts the western fringes of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It runs from the Virginia state line near Bluefield, where it is concurrent with Interstate 77 (I-77), in a general northwest and north direction to I-64 at Kenova. There it turns east, overlapping I-64 for five miles (8.0 km) before splitting off onto the West Huntington Expressway into Ohio via the West Huntington Bridge. Despite having an even number, US 52 is signed north–south in West Virginia. In some other states along its route, it is signed east-west. The West Virginia segment is signed such that US 52 north corresponds to the general westward direction of the highway, and vice versa.

Most of the route is being upgraded to a high-speed four-lane divided highway, but not to interstate standards. It has been designated as part of the I-73 and I-74 corridors. From I-77 south of Bluefield to near Williamson, the new highway has been referenced to as the King Coal Highway; from Williamson north to Kenova, it is the Tolsia Highway.

View north along current US 52 in Gilbert

History

West Huntington Expressway

The West Huntington Expressway is a controlled-access elevated highway that crosses the west end of Huntington WV. It was constructed in 1965 and originally signed as West Virginia Route 94 (WV 94). The first segment to open was a stub from I-64 to Jefferson Avenue in West Huntington in the fall of 1965. This included a bridge over a CSX railroad mainline. In the early 1970s, the expressway was extended northward across what is now the Nick Joe Rahall II Bridge across the Ohio River to US 52 and State Route 7 in Ohio.

Tolls were collected at the Ohio River bridge until the mid-1980s. The expressway has four lanes from I-64 to the US 60 interchange, where it drops to two lanes for the remainder of the highway, which includes the Ohio River bridge. The expressway was renumbered US 52 in 1979 when that highway was re-routed out of downtown Huntington to a new alignment on I-64 west to the Tolsia Highway south of Kenova.

Tolsia Highway

A 2005 photograph of US 52 and WV 75 ending at an interchange stub south of Kenova, West Virginia.
US 52 at Prichard, West Virginia where the 1998 and 2001 sections join; it is visible by the change of pavement.
The Crum, West Virginia bypass. It is striped quite oddly, with two southbound and one northbound lane.

The Tolsia Highway is defined as running from I-64 at Kenova to Corridor G (US 119) north of Williamson.[1] Portions of the 66-mile (106 km) highway have been completed. In 1998, US 52 south of the I-64 interchange in Kenova was upgraded to four-lane highway standards to the Tri-State Airport Access Road. In 2001, the four-lane highway was extended southward approximately two miles (3.2 km) to a stub interchange with WV 75.

Also in 1998, the Prichard bypass was opened to traffic with one interchange and one at-grade intersection. This four-mile (6.4 km)bypass includes very large rock cuts and a long and winding grade down a hill. In 2001, the four-lane highway was extended northward for a mile (1.6 km), removing some grades and curves along US 52. The extension was completed in 2002 at a cost of $9.6 million.

Before the eastern bypass was built, US 52 inside Prichard involved two alignments. US 52 originally took the path of WV 152, approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of the current alignment. In the mid-1960s, state funding was secured to upgrade most of County Route 1 (CR 1), which ran along the Big Sandy River and Tug Fork River. The upgraded CR 1 was renumbered as US 52 in 1979. A western bypass of Prichard was constructed in the mid-1970s and partially abandoned in 1999, when the new four-lane alignment east of the community was constructed.

In 2001, the Crum segment of the Tolsia Highway opened to traffic. The highway begins just north of Crum at an incomplete diamond interchange and heads eastward towards CR 2. It has at-grade intersections with CR 52-47 and CR 52-31 along with a side road at the eastern terminus that takes traffic to CR 2. There are stubs for future bridges and ramps. Signage along this segment is minimal, with only a handful of arrows to designate the route. While the highway was built to four-lane standards, it is only striped for two.

In late 2002, Senator Robert C. Byrd received $20 million in funds to jump-start construction on the northern half of the Tolsia Highway. The money would be used to speed up construction on the 10-mile (16 km) link between Huntington and Prichard, serving several industrial parks and relieving two-lane US 52 of coal-truck congestion.

In 2003, survey and design of five miles (8.0 km) of four-lane US 52 upgrades from Prichard north to Cyrus were completed. Plans include an interchange and five bridge structures.

Williamson Bypass

US 52 enters Kentucky twice along the Williamson, West Virginia bypass; constructing bridges across the Big Sandy was preferred because it prevented the blasting of several hillsides in West Virginia. It was completed in 1996 as part of the Corridor G (US 119) project. The speed limit in West Virginia is 65 mph (105 km/h) but abruptly drops to 55 mph (89 km/h) in Kentucky.

Future

The Tolsia Highway is expected to meet the King Coal Highway at WV 65 and Corridor G (US 119).

King Coal Highway

The King Coal Highway is defined to run from WV 65 and Corridor G (US 119) near Belo, West Virginia to I-77 at its US 52 interchange near Bluefield.[2] The Coalfields Expressway (US 121) and the Shawnee Expressway will connect to the King Coal Highway.

The travel time, currently over 120 minutes from Williamson to Bluefield, will be reduced to 87 minutes.[2] South of Ikes Fork, a two-hour trip to Bluefield will be reduced to 44 minutes.

Interchanges and intersections proposed for the King Coal Highway include:[1]

A former strip mining site being converted for the King Coal Highway and Coalfields Expressway three-level diamond interchange. Taken in 2004, construction is not expected on the actual interchange itself for years.

Construction began in 1999 on the three-level diamond interchange on Indian Ridge near Welch that will facilitate traffic between the King Coal Highway (US 52, Interstate 73/74) and the Coalfields Expressway (US 121).

Initial site work was completed in 2003, with grading evident; this required the filling in of a large valley. It will also be the site of a new state prison along with future industrial development.

Work has progressed on the four-lane upgrading of US 52 in Mercer County just east of Bluefield. On November 24, a contract totalling $2,057,914 was let to move approximately 500,000 cubic yards (380,000 m3) of dirt and to grade and drain .22 miles from the recently completed $27 million interchange with Corridor Q (US 460) east of Bluefield to US 19 just north of James P. Bailey Lake. Six buildings will be demolished. This is the first of several projects that will extend the King Coal Highway to West Virginia Route 123 (Airport Road) north of Bluefield. Extending this project east, another contract was awarded December 15 and totals $1,371,251. The contract calls for more than 200,000 cubic yards (150,000 m3) of excavation to grade and drain .18 mile of the King Coal Highway from county route 25 just north of the US 460 interchange to south of the old Raleigh-Grayson Turnpike. 36 buildings will be demolished. A future contract will include a bridge over US 19 which will cost $15 million.[3][4]

Design work is being commenced on a 11-mile (18 km) segment of the King Coal Highway from Horsepen Mountain to Isaban and from the Mercer County Interchange to West Virginia Route 123/Airport Road. The work being done on a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) section of highway near Horsepen Mountain is being done by mining companies that will save taxpayers over $20 million.

The total cost for both the Tolsia and King Coal Highways will be over $2 billion.

Major intersections

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
East River Mountain I‑77 south / US 52 south – WythevilleContinuation into Virginia
East River Mountain Tunnel; Virginia–West Virginia state line
MercerBluefield I‑77 north / CR 290⁄1 (Cumberland Industrial Center Road) – BeckleyNorthern end of I-77 overlap; US 52 north follows exit 1
​
US 460 east / US 52 Truck north – Princeton		Interchange; southern end of US 460 overlap
Bluefield US 460 westNorthern end of US 460 overlap
WV 598 south to US 460

US 19 north / US 52 Truck south (Princeton Avenue)		Southern end of US 19 overlap
US 19 south – Bluefield, VANorthern end of US 19 overlap
Brush Fork WV 123 – Airport
Bluewell WV 20 north – Princeton
WV 71 north / CR 52⁄6 (Cutoff Road) – Matoaka
Bramwell CR 120 south – Pocahontas, VA, Bramwell Historic District
McDowellElkhorn WV 161 south – Anawalt
Welch
US 52 Alt. north to WV 16 – Welch

US 52 Alt. south / WV 16 north / WV 103 east – Gary, Welch		Southern end of WV 16 overlap
WV 16 south – Coalwood, WarNorthern end of WV 16 overlap
Iaeger WV 80 south – Downtown Iaeger, BradshawSouthern end of WV 80 overlap
WyomingHanover WV 97 east – Pineville
MingoGilbert WV 80 north – ManNorthern end of WV 80 overlap
Mountain View WV 44 north / CR 252⁄57 (Old US 52) – LoganSouthern end of WV 44 overlap
​ CR 8 (Beech Creek Road)Northern end of WV 44 overlap
​ WV 65 south – MatewanSouthern end of WV 65 overlap
​ CR 252⁄57 (Old US 52)
Delbarton WV 65 northNorthern end of WV 65 overlap
Williamson WV 49 south – Matewan

US 52 Truck north (Prichard Street)
US 119 south – Williamson, Pikeville, KYSouthern end of US 119 overlap
 West Virginia–Kentucky state line
Pike
Kentucky		​ To KY 292
 Kentucky–West Virginia state line
Mingo​ CR 14 – Chattaroy
 West Virginia–Kentucky state line
Pike
Kentucky		​ KY 292Interchange
 Kentucky–West Virginia state line
MingoNolan CR 52⁄19 (Nolan Street)To Nolan Toll Bridge
​ US 119 north – LoganNorthern end of US 119 overlap
Naugatuck WV 65 south – Delbarton
Kermit To KY 292 / Virginia Avenue – Inez, KYTo Kermit Bridge
Wayne​ CR 152⁄46 (Crum Bypass)
​ WV 152 north
Fort Gay WV 37 west – Fort Gay, Louisa, KYSouthern end of WV 37 overlap
​ WV 37 east – WayneNorthern end of WV 37 overlap
​ CR 52⁄83 – PrichardInterchange
​ WV 75 east – WayneSouthern end of WV 75 overlap
Kenova I‑64 west / WV 75 west – Ceredo, Kenova, Ashland, KYNorthern end of WV 75 overlap; southern end of I-64 overlap; US 52 south follows exit 1
CabellHuntington I‑64 east – Huntington, CharlestonNorthern end of I-64 overlap; US 52 north follows exit 6
Madison Avenue - VA Medical CenterInterchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance
US 60 (Adams Avenue) – West HuntingtonInterchange
Ohio RiverWest Huntington Bridge; West Virginia–Ohio state line
US 52 west – IrontonContinuation into Ohio
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. 1 2 Mitchem, Mike; Akers, David B. (n.d.). King Coal Highway, I-73/74 Authority. Gilbert: West Virginia Department of Highways.
  2. 1 2 West Virginia Department of Transportation (n.d.). "Executive Summary.". King Coal Highway. n.p.: West Virginia Department of Transportation.
  3. ↑ West Virginia Department of Transportation (December 18, 2003). "DOH Awards King Coal Highway Contract" (Press release). West Virginia Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 24, 2003.
  4. ↑ "Contract Allows More King Coal Highway Construction". Bluefield Daily Telegram. December 20, 2003. Retrieved December 24, 2003.

Route map: Google

KML is from Wikidata
U.S. Route 52
Previous state:
Ohio		 West Virginia Next state:
Virginia
Interstate 73
Previous state:
Virginia		 West Virginia Next state:
Ohio
Interstate 74
Previous state:
Ohio		 West Virginia Next state:
Virginia
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