Shawnee Expressway (West Virginia)

Infobox road
state=WV
type=
route=78
alternate_name=Shawnee Expressway
length_mi=23
length_ref="Shawnee Expressway." West Virginia. Department of Transportation. Executive Summary. N.p.: West Virginia Department of Transportation, n.d.]
length_round=
established=
direction_a=South
direction_b=North
starting_terminus=
junction=
counties=Mercer, McDowell
cities=Ghent, Ashland
previous_type=Interstate
previous_route=77
next_type=Interstate
next_route=79

The Shawnee Expressway (West Virginia Route 78 [WVDOT, [http://www.millenniumhwy.net/wvroads/numberingnewhighways.htm Approval Sought for Numbering for New Highways] , June 1998] ) is a proposed 23 mile (37 kilometer) two-lane rural principal arterial highway. The highway, should it be constructed, will run through McDowell, Wyoming, Mercer, and Raleigh counties in southwest West Virginia. The proposed termini of the expressway will be at the Ghent interchange along Interstate 77 to CR 14 or CR 17 near Ashland .

The Shawnee Expressway was identified as a High Priority Corridor in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). The study area Study Area and Study Route. Map. N.p.: West Virginia Department of Transportation , n.d.] , consisting of CR 11 and CR 14 in Mercer County, and CR 16/6 and CR 16/2 in Wyoming County, feature extensive no-passing zones, narrow roadway widths, non-existent shoulders, sharp horizontal curves, steep vertical grades, and substandard pavement materials for a heavy traffic load. As a result, the level of service along the routes within the study area range from B to E.

References