In the 1960s, the Appalachian Regional Commission, spurred by U.S. Senator Jennings Randolph, planned over 3,000 miles of roads across 13 states to boost the economy and improve life in the Appalachian region. Most were designed to help areas bypassed by the Interstate Highway System.

West Virginia’s Appalachian Corridor highways began in 1965. The system aimed to connect isolated areas to major highways and boost the economy. West Virginia has six routes: D, E, G, H, L, and Q.

• Corridor D (U.S. 50) runs 82 miles from Ohio to Clarksburg, with a key bridge finished in 2008.

• Corridor E (I-68) is a 32-mile link from Morgantown to Maryland, finished in the late 1970s.

• Corridor G (U.S. 119) connects Kentucky to Charleston and was complete in the 1990s.

• Corridor H is still being built, with parts open, but some sections have been delayed due to environmental concerns.

• Corridor L (U.S. 19) runs 70 miles from Beckley to Sutton and includes the famous New River Gorge Bridge, fully upgraded by the late 1990s.

• Corridor Q (U.S. 460) is a 27-mile road completed in the 1970s linking to Virginia.