West Virginia Route 97

Infobox road
state=WV
type=WV
route=97
length_mi=48.9
length_round=1
length_ref=Distance calculated using Microsoft MapPoint mapping software.]
established=
direction_a=West
starting_terminus=
junction=jct|state=WV|WV|10 near Pineville
jct|state=WV|WV|54 from Maben to Sophia
jct|state=WV|WV|16 from Sophia to Mabscott
direction_b=East
ending_terminus=
counties=Wyoming, Raleigh
previous_type=WV
previous_route=95
next_type=WV
next_route=98

West Virginia Route 97 is an east-west state highway in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 52 and West Virginia Route 80 in Hanover. The eastern terminus is at exit 42 of the West Virginia Turnpike (Interstate 64 and Interstate 77) in Mabscott. West Virginia Route 16, which runs concurrent with WV 97 between Sophia and Mabscott, continues north into Beckley on Robert C. Byrd Drive, the right-of-way of both WV 16 and WV 97.

Communities along the route

*Wyoming County
**Hanover
**Baileysville
**Brenton
**Marianna
**Green Camp
**Wyoming
**Glover
**Ramey Addition
**Mullinsville
**Pineville
**Saulsville
**Maben

*Raleigh County
**Hotckiss
**Slab Fork
**Lester
**Glen White
**Sophia
**Crab Orchard
**Mabscott

Major intersections

WVint
county=Wyoming
cspan=5
location=Hanover
mile=0.0
road=jct|state=WV|US|52|WV|80WVint
location=Baileysville
road=Jct|state=WV|WV|971
notes=Southern terminus of WV 971.WVint
location=Pineville
lspan=2
type=mplex
road=Jct|state=WV|WV|10
notes=Western terminus of concurrency.WVint
type=mplex
road=Jct|state=WV|WV|10
notes=Eastern terminus of concurrency.WVint
county=
cspan=
location=Maben
lspan=
type=mplex
road=Jct|state=WV|WV|54
notes=Southern terminus of concurrency.WVint
county=Raleigh
cspan=3
location=Lester
road=Jct|state=WV|WV|305
notes=Southern terminus of WV 305.WVint
location=Sophia
type=mplex
road=Jct|state=WV|WV|16|WV|54
notes=Northern terminus of WV 54/97 concurrency.
Southern terminus of WV 16/97 concurrency.WVint
location=Mabscott
type=mplex
road=Jct|state=WV|I|64|I|77|WV|16
notes=Exit 42 (I-64/I-77).
Northern terminus of WV 16/97 concurrency.

History

State Route 97 connects U.S. Highway 52 in the western end of Wyoming County with the county seat of Pineville and goes on to State Route 54 in Maben. Following the linkage of Interstate 64 to the West Virginia Turnpike south of Beckley, the state continued State Route 97 signage across existing State Route 54 to State Route 16 in Sophia and on to the junction with the Turnpike's newly constructed South Valley Drive (now renamed Robert C. Byrd Drive) exit number 42.Fact|date=March 2007 As a main throughfare in Wyoming County, Route 97 serves the coal industry and its workers, and the heavy truck traffic following brought many accidents and made maintenance nearly impossible. The last 20 years have brought improvements and widening to the road, and it could soon lose much traffic to the Coalfields Expressway, a highway that will link the Turnpike to Pineville, Welch, and Buchanan County, Virginia.

ee also

*Twin Falls Resort State Park
*R.D. Bailey Dam and Lake

References