Highway construction in West Virginia greatly expanded after the 1956 Federal-Aid Highway Act created the modern interstate system. These high-speed, four-lane roads were hard and expensive to build in the state’s rough terrain.

West Virginia’s interstate highway system began in 1957 and took 31 years to complete, ending in 1988. It originally included six major highways, totaling 515 miles, and was later expanded with I-68. The longest and most expensive was I-77, which includes the West Virginia Turnpike. I-64 was the last to be completed, and I-79 was added later to connect Charleston to Pennsylvania. Other short sections of interstate include I-81 through Berkeley County and I-70 and I-470 around and through Wheeling.

Funding came from federal aid and voter-approved bonds in 1964, 1968, and 1973, totaling over $1 billion. The state paid 10% of construction costs. Today, maintenance and improvements continue as traffic increases.