WV Route 2 and I-68 Authority

08/15/2026

WV Senator Rose.. Thank you for your reality/truth based comments about the real-world energy resources abundantly and affordably available in West Virginia. Well spoken, Chris.. -Bob Miller

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08/01/2026

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A coal plant once burdened by bankruptcy is suddenly one of the most contested power assets in America.

American Electric Power has agreed to acquire Longview Power, a 710-megawatt coal-fired station near Maidsville, West Virginia, after narrowly beating a data center developer in the bidding process. The purchase price hasn't been disclosed.

The rival bidder reportedly considered directing Longview’s entire output to an artificial intelligence complex. That would've removed enough electricity from the grid to serve an estimated 355,000 homes, raising concerns over reliability and customer costs across PJM.

AEP said the plant will instead support rising demand within the 13-state PJM network. The utility serves 5.6 million customers across 11 states and already holds contracts for about 18 gigawatts of data center load in the region.

Longview entered service in 2011 after costing $2 billion to build. Promoted as one of America’s most efficient coal plants, it later suffered mechanical troubles and financial pressure as cheap natural gas and tighter environmental rules changed the market. The operator filed for bankruptcy in 2013 and again in 2020.

Now, the station has become valuable because dependable generation is getting harder to secure. US electricity demand is forecast to rise 39% by 2035, with annual growth expected near 2.5%, compared with about 0.5% during the previous decade.

AEP has also obtained permits for a proposed 1,200-megawatt gas plant at the site. No construction timetable has been announced, but the Longview deal shows how AI is changing the value of existing coal generation.

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06/16/2026

"(Congressman Riley) Moore (R-WV) Announces $1 million for (Steubenville to WV Route 2) Bridge Replacement Planning During Weirton Stop"
The Intelligencer/News-Register .. Wheeling, WV
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
CRAIG HOWELL .. for The Intelligencer

STEUBENVILLE – Area officials gathered near the Market Street Bridge Monday afternoon to celebrate a milestone in the efforts to eventually build a replacement for the 121-year-old span.

“Sorry, but the old girl has found its last place,” Mike Paprocki, executive director of the Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission, said in addressing those standing near the visitors center at Historic Fort Steuben.

Those in attendance included U.S. Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., who, through his work on the House Appropriations Committee, was able to secure $1 million to assist with the costs of engineering and design work for a new river crossing.

“This is a really important step to get this moving forward,” Moore said.

The Market Street Bridge was closed to traffic in December 2023 after routine inspections identified continuing deterioration in some of the bridge’s cable anchorages.

According to timelines presented by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, engineering and environmental work should continue through 2027, with the development of contract plans and rights-of-way acquisitions running through 2028, and construction potentially being complete sometime in 2031.

There have been several options presented as part of the process of selecting a location for the new bridge.

The first five would see the construction of a new bridge crossing to connect West Virginia Route 2 between Weirton and Follansbee with a point in Steubenville. Those selected crossing possibilities include Ross Street, Logan Street, Washington Street, Market Street and South Street.

Another option would be not to build any new structure, with officials noting the existing Market Street Bridge would eventually need to be removed because of public safety concerns. The seventh option, rehabilitation of the current Market Street Bridge, is essentially off the table, according to officials, because of its deterioration and failure to meet safety standards.

Close to $90 million in federal funding previously was appropriated toward the project.

Moore promised to keep looking for ways to support the bridge replacement, saying both he and U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., have opportunities to seek funding through the congressional appropriations process.

“We’re going to continue to work,” he said. “We have a pretty good one-two punch.”

Moore also noted support in the effort from U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, whose district includes Jefferson County.

Officials with the WVDOT and BHJ recently held a pair of public meetings — one in Follansbee and another in Steubenville — where residents were able to learn more about potential options for the bridge replacement and offer their thoughts.

“The comment period is still open,” Paprocki said, noting residents can offer thoughts on the plans until June 22. “We take those comments seriously.”

Project information and a comment sheet can be found online at go.wv.gov/dotcomment, with comments also mailed to West Virginia Department of Transportation, Engineering Division, 1900 Kanawha Blvd., East Building 5, Room 820, Charleston, WV 25305.

https://www.theintelligencer.net/news/community/2026/06/moore-announces-1-million-for-bridge-replacement-planning-during-weirton-stop/

STEUBENVILLE – Area officials gathered near the Market Street Bridge Monday afternoon to celebrate a milestone in the efforts to eventually build a replacement for the 121-year-old span. “Sorry, but the old girl has found its last place,” Mike Paprocki, executive director of the Brooke-Hancock...

06/04/2026

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Division of Highways provided an update on the Corridor H construction status on Dec. 8, 2025, to the Joint Legislative Oversight Commission on Department

06/04/2026

DECEMBER 10, 2017

“Marshall County commissioner, Trump Special Assistant discuss I-68 expansion effort”
DECEMBER 10, 2017
by Linda Harris STAFF WRITER.. WV STATE JOURNAL

Marshall County Commissioner Bob Miller took the case for extending I-68 to the White House Friday.

Miller said he spent nearly an hour with Bill Kirkland, special assistant to the president and deputy director of White House intergovernmental affairs, explaining what extending the interstate from Morgantown to Moundsville could mean to West Virginia and the oil and gas industry. He said the meeting was Kirkland's idea.

“It was, literally, a discussion,” he said. “There's nothing in writing, nothing has been confirmed, but at least we have a dialogue going in that direction. And how many projects in West Virginia can say the White House cares enough to begin a conversation to help move things forward? We're still trying evaluate what they can do, but there's a willingness that they will help us if they can — it's not at the point where they know if they can do anything, but at least we're in discussions to find out what can be done to help us.”

Miller said he'd sent Kirkland a letter detailing his thoughts on how expanding I-68 “would open the area up and how it could accelerate the growth of the industry and make the hard-to-access areas of the county much more accessible.”

“It wasn't a day before I had a reply from (him) saying we definitely needed to talk,” he said.

Miller said the project clicks with couple of the Trump administration's priorities — energy independence and infrastructure upgrades. [USA Manufacturing too]
“Those two things together are two major reasons to build the road,” Miller said. “We're not going to build the road tomorrow (because of this meeting), there's no guarantee we'll get federal money. But having White House support and influence to make some other funding tools available would be invaluable. This could be one where we can use their guidance and the administration's bully pulpit to let more people know the importance of this project, to emphasize why it needs to be done as fast as possible.”

He said he's not sure what, if anything, will come of it, though they'd love to tap into federal funding sources. But even if there's no funding opportunities, “White House involvement could be at a higher level, maybe encouraging true public-private partnerships," Miller said. "He [President Trump] would have more influence to get those people to come on board than a Marshall County commissioner would have. Having the White House involved, that interaction, changes the entire tone when you're dealing with those things.”

Miller said he also pitched some of his ideas on how they could make it more affordable, such as talking to CSX and pipeline companies about the feasibility of sharing the same rights-of-ways. “Sharing rights-of-ways would drastically reduce costs, and that's something I believe the White House could help facilitate,” he said.

He said he's also pointed out how the extension could help Ohio's development efforts. Dilles Bottom, the community where PTT Global is considering building a $6 billion-plus ethane cracker, is just minutes from Moundsville, so extending I-68 extension would bring Baltimore Harbor within a day's drive.

“It would help Ohio from the standpoint that it would help PTT Global and related industries that will follow in Ohio if they decide to build the (cracker) there,” he said.

Miller said Kirkland suggested meeting again.

Staff writer Linda Harris can be reached at 304-374-0403 or email [email protected]

https://www.wvnews.com/statejournal/marshall-county-commissioner-trump-assistant-discuss-i--expansion-effort/article_5517e1b8-9d98-5eb2-aad5-b9e4c3c448ba.html

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06/04/2026

“Kerens to Parsons section of Corridor H set for a delayed open in late June”
by Taylor Beam .. STAFF WRITER
May 28, 2026

ELKINS, W.Va. — A section of Corridor H from Kerens to Parsons that was expected to open by Memorial Day is now projected to open to traffic by the end of June after winter weather delayed construction.

“It’s looking like a three-week delay, hopefully,” said Robbie Morris, executive director of the Randolph County Development Authority and chairman of the Corridor H Highway Authority.

“When talking about delays on Corridor H, three weeks is nothing compared to the years and decades of delays that it seems we’ve had,” Morris said.

Morris said the West Virginia Division of Highways plans to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening.

“This section will connect all the way from Interstate 79 in Weston to Parsons, which is the county seat of Tucker County,” Morris said. “There’s a big interchange in Parsons, and the Kingsford charcoal plant is also a source of a lot of truck traffic in Tucker.”

“Everything heading west will now have a four-lane highway to work with rather than U.S. Route 219, which is a two-lane country road,” he said.

Morris said the new section is expected to help commuters who regularly travel between Randolph and Tucker counties for work.

“Especially with the winters that we have in this region of West Virginia, the more of Corridor H that we can get completed, the safer it is to travel,” Morris said.

“It would be really great to have not only this section complete, but the entire Corridor H project,” he said.

Development of West Virginia’s Appalachian Corridor highways began in 1965 after U.S. Sen. Jennings Randolph helped create the Appalachian Regional Commission, according to e-WV, the West Virginia Encyclopedia. The Appalachian Development Highway System was designed to connect isolated Appalachian communities to interstate highways and encourage economic development throughout the region.

West Virginia’s portion of the system included six designated corridors: D, E, G, H, L and Q. Corridor H is the only one that remains unfinished.

According to e-WV, Corridor H will eventually connect Interstate 79 at Weston to Interstate 81 near Strasburg, Virginia. The project has faced decades of debate and legal challenges over economic development and environmental concerns in eastern West Virginia.

About 75% of Corridor H had been completed as of 2025, according to e-WV. Prior to the Kerens-to-Parsons segment, the highway was open from Weston to Kerens in Randolph County and from Davis to Wardensville in Hardy County.

State officials broke ground on the Kerens-to-Parsons section in June 2023. Additional sections extending from Wardensville to the Virginia state line are not expected to begin construction until at least 2027, according to e-WV.

A projected completion date for the entire Corridor H project remains uncertain as officials continue working through funding and planning for the remaining sections extending toward Virginia.

By Taylor Beam
STAFF WRITER

05/27/2026

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