Although it took 22 years longer than originally anticipated, the long-awaited start of construction on the Shawnee Parkway is nevertheless welcomed.
The new scenic roadway will extend 22 miles from Ghent in Raleigh County to the mountaintop ridges of Mercer County before it ultimately connects with the King Coal Highway near Crumpler in McDowell County. The road began as a vision in 1986 by Bill Harvey, a retired coal miner from Spanishburg, who was joined by several other local residents in fighting for the scenic corridor, including William Sanders of Princeton.
Sanders and Harvey joined Gov. Joe Manchin — and officials from Mercer, McDowell and Raleigh counties — in a symbolic groundbreaking on the project last week. In actuality, work on the first 1.22 miles of the roadway is well underway in Ghent with the first phase of the project now about 16 percent complete.
We applaud the official start of construction on the Shawnee Parkway. It is another important piece of the region’s new highway construction system. The scenic corridor hopes to compliment — and not compete — with the King Coal Highway and the Coalfields Expressway. Both the King Coal Highway and the Coalfields Expressway are new four-lane corridors. The Shawnee Parkway is a two-lane corridor with a proposed speed limit of 55 mph.
The first $5 million segment of the roadway could be completed as early as this winter, Dave Parkulo, coordinator of the Shawnee Parkway Authority, said. Design work has already been completed on a second segment that extends the parkway into Mercer County.
However, additional federal and state dollars are still needed before work can begin on the second segment of the roadway.
We urge our lawmakers in Washington, including U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., and U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., to work extra hard toward securing the additional federal funds necessary to bring the new two-lane corridor into Mercer County.
We also urge our congressional leaders to continue their fight to secure desperately needed new federal dollars to allow for a continuation of construction on the King Coal Highway in Bluefield and the Coalfields Expressway in Welch.
The total project cost of the Shawnee Parkway is estimated at $293 million, and growing with each passing day.
We don’t expect this road to be completed overnight, however, we would like to see it reach the Mercer County border. Parkulo said the first phase of the project is being completed, thanks in part to about $5 million in federal funds. The state matched the remaining 20 percent.
Gov. Joe Manchin told those assembled at last week’s groundbreaking ceremony that the Shawnee Parkway will be “..one of the most scenic highways east of the Mississippi when it is completed.” Given the magnificent beauty of our high ridges and picturesque mountains, we have no reason to doubt the governor’s assessment of the Shawnee Parkway.
It’s now time to continue work on the King Coal Highway, the Coalfields Expressway and the Shawnee Parkway. All three are a critical component of the region’s future highway network.
