FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 1, 2026
CONTACT:
Bonni McKeown, Stewards of the Potomac Highlands, 773-209-4712, [email protected]
Andrew W. Young, Virginia Wilderness Committee, 434-202-4397, [email protected]
Citizens groups in West Virginia and Virginia have filed an injunction in federal court to stop any Corridor H construction on the 6.8 mile-section from Wardensville, W.Va. to the Virginia line.
Stewards of the Potomac Highlands and Virginia Wilderness Committee had challenged WV Division of Highways and Federal Highway Administration in a federal lawsuit in April, saying the agencies’ environmental studies failed to consider the option of spot safety improvements to existing two lane Route 48/55.
In June, WVDOH let out bids anyway for the section’s first phase of construction, leaving the groups with no other option. Represented by attorneys Andrea Ferster and Brad Stephens, the two groups filed the injunction in federal court in the Northern District of West Virginia on August 28.
“Since Virginia declared it won’t build its originally planned section of Corridor H to I-66 and I-81, it just doesn’t make sense to run an overbuilt four-lane in West Virginia to the state line,” said Bonni McKeown, president of Stewards of the Potomac Highlands president.
“Rich forest ecosystems, wildlife habitat, native trout streams, and many outdoor recreational resources of this Allegheny Mountain region are all threatened by the Corridor H boondoggle,” said Virginia Wilderness Committee board member Andrew Young.
Corridor H would cut a wide 2.4-mile long swath through a part of the George Washington National Forest that sits in West Virginia. The groups say that that section alone would destroy 300 acres of intact older-growth forest and fragment a crucial corridor for the struggling Wood turtle, currently being considered for federal listing as an endangered species. Further, cutting into the national forest, owned by all Americans, would set a dangerous precedent for opening up more of Virginia’s national forest – including the Jefferson National Forest – for development.
“We are suing to force public officials to take another look before spending $540 million here,” Young said.
“Virginia is widening Route 55 and plans to improve safety in the hills and curves by adding some left turn lanes and passing lanes. Why can’t West Virginia do the same?” McKeown said. “It would save taxpayer money, preserve 2.4 miles of intact George Washington National Forest land, keep tourist traffic flowing through Main Street in Wardensville, and avoid bridge-building damage to trout streams in the Cacapon River watershed.”
Find more background on this Myths & Facts fact sheet and elsewhere at HighwaytoNoWhere.org
----------------
Organized in 1969, the Virginia Wilderness Committee works to permanently protect the best of Virginia’s wild places for future generations, foster understanding and appreciation of Wilderness, and promote enjoyment and stewardship of our last remaining wildlands. The Virginia Wilderness Committee is a 501(c)3 non-profit citizens group.
Economically and culturally, our area has a proud tradition of small farm and forest ownership and historic towns. Stewards of the Potomac Highlands, a 501(c)4 nonprofit citizens group, networks in West Virginia’s northeastern counties to protect this heritage and support an environmentally and socially sustainable, locally controlled economy.
September 1, 2026
CONTACT:
Bonni McKeown, Stewards of the Potomac Highlands, 773-209-4712, [email protected]
Andrew W. Young, Virginia Wilderness Committee, 434-202-4397, [email protected]
Citizens groups in West Virginia and Virginia have filed an injunction in federal court to stop any Corridor H construction on the 6.8 mile-section from Wardensville, W.Va. to the Virginia line.
Stewards of the Potomac Highlands and Virginia Wilderness Committee had challenged WV Division of Highways and Federal Highway Administration in a federal lawsuit in April, saying the agencies’ environmental studies failed to consider the option of spot safety improvements to existing two lane Route 48/55.
In June, WVDOH let out bids anyway for the section’s first phase of construction, leaving the groups with no other option. Represented by attorneys Andrea Ferster and Brad Stephens, the two groups filed the injunction in federal court in the Northern District of West Virginia on August 28.
“Since Virginia declared it won’t build its originally planned section of Corridor H to I-66 and I-81, it just doesn’t make sense to run an overbuilt four-lane in West Virginia to the state line,” said Bonni McKeown, president of Stewards of the Potomac Highlands president.
“Rich forest ecosystems, wildlife habitat, native trout streams, and many outdoor recreational resources of this Allegheny Mountain region are all threatened by the Corridor H boondoggle,” said Virginia Wilderness Committee board member Andrew Young.
Corridor H would cut a wide 2.4-mile long swath through a part of the George Washington National Forest that sits in West Virginia. The groups say that that section alone would destroy 300 acres of intact older-growth forest and fragment a crucial corridor for the struggling Wood turtle, currently being considered for federal listing as an endangered species. Further, cutting into the national forest, owned by all Americans, would set a dangerous precedent for opening up more of Virginia’s national forest – including the Jefferson National Forest – for development.
“We are suing to force public officials to take another look before spending $540 million here,” Young said.
“Virginia is widening Route 55 and plans to improve safety in the hills and curves by adding some left turn lanes and passing lanes. Why can’t West Virginia do the same?” McKeown said. “It would save taxpayer money, preserve 2.4 miles of intact George Washington National Forest land, keep tourist traffic flowing through Main Street in Wardensville, and avoid bridge-building damage to trout streams in the Cacapon River watershed.”
Find more background on this Myths & Facts fact sheet and elsewhere at HighwaytoNoWhere.org
----------------
Organized in 1969, the Virginia Wilderness Committee works to permanently protect the best of Virginia’s wild places for future generations, foster understanding and appreciation of Wilderness, and promote enjoyment and stewardship of our last remaining wildlands. The Virginia Wilderness Committee is a 501(c)3 non-profit citizens group.
Economically and culturally, our area has a proud tradition of small farm and forest ownership and historic towns. Stewards of the Potomac Highlands, a 501(c)4 nonprofit citizens group, networks in West Virginia’s northeastern counties to protect this heritage and support an environmentally and socially sustainable, locally controlled economy.
RSS Feed