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Transportation in West Virginia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Transport in the U.S. state of West Virginia is handled by the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) which employs more than 6,000 in West Virginia.[1]

Transportation in West Virginia includes the following.

Roads

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Interstate highways

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U.S. Highways

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West Virginia State Highways

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Airports

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Railroads

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West Virginia train stations
Huntington
Charleston
Montgomery
Thurmond
Prince
Hinton
Martinsburg Amtrak
Alderson
Duffields
White Sulphur Springs
Harpers Ferry Amtrak
Key
Amtrak
Amtrak only
MARC Brunswick Line
Amtrak
Both

While West Virginia was once crisscrossed with commercial and passenger railroad networks, the decline of the coal and timber industries, coupled with the rise of the automobile, led to a sharp drop in track mileage in the state. Many of the former railroad grades are used as trails for hiking and biking throughout the state's numerous woodlands.

Today, West Virginia is serviced by two Amtrak lines: one that cuts through the southern portion of the state, including stops in Huntington and Charleston, and one that cuts through the state's Eastern Panhandle, including stops in Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry. The Eastern Panhandle is also serviced during the week by MARC's Brunswick commuter rail line, which terminates in Martinsburg. Commercial railroads still operate in the state, mainly hauling coal to inland ports such as Huntington-Tristate (the nation's largest inland port) and Pittsburgh.

Bridges and tunnels

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As a mountainous state, bridges and tunnels play an important role in transportation in West Virginia. Notable bridges and tunnels include:

Rapid transit

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Rivers

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Rivers with commercial barge traffic and docks in West Virginia include:[2]

Navigation locks and dams in West Virginia:[3][4]

  • On the Ohio
    • New Cumberland Locks and Dam
    • Pike Island Locks and Dam
    • Hannibal Locks and Dam
    • Willow Island Locks and Dam
    • Belleville Locks and Dam
    • Racine Locks and Dam
    • Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam
Winfield Lock and Dam on the Kanawha River at Winfield, West Virginia
  • On the Kanawha
    • London Lock and Dam
    • Marmet Lock and Dam
    • Winfield Lock and Dam
  • On the Monogahela
    • Morgantown Lock and Dam
    • Hildebrand Lock and Dam
    • Opekiska Lock and Dam

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "About Us". transportation.wv.gov. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  2. ^ West Virginia Department of Transportation, Rivers Section web page, accessed 9 June 2006
  3. ^ U.S. Corps of Engineers, Huntington District web site, accessed 9 June 2006
  4. ^ U.S. Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District web site, accessed 9 June 2006