Interstate 77 in West Virginia
Section of Interstate Highway in West Virginia, United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Interstate 77 (I-77) in the US state of West Virginia is a major north–south Interstate Highway. It extends for 187.21 miles (301.29 km) between Bluefield at the Virginia state line and Williamstown at the Ohio state line.
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Route information | ||||
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Maintained by WVDOH and WVPA | ||||
Length | 187.21 mi[1] (301.29 km) | |||
Existed | 1956–present | |||
History | Completed in 1988 | |||
NHS | Entire route | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | I-77 / US 52 at Virginia state line | |||
Major intersections | ||||
North end | I-77 at Ohio state line at the Marietta-Williamstown Interstate Bridge | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | West Virginia | |||
Counties | Mercer, Raleigh, Fayette, Kanawha, Jackson, Wood | |||
Highway system | ||||
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The highway serves Charleston, the capital and largest city in West Virginia; it also serves the cities of Princeton, Beckley, and Parkersburg. I-77 follows the entire length of the West Virginia Turnpike, a toll road that runs between Princeton and Charleston, and it runs concurrently with I-64 between Beckley and Charleston.
Historically, the West Virginia Turnpike was a two-lane road with treacherous curves and a tunnel (which has since been decommissioned). Construction began in 1952, several years before the Interstate Highway System was funded. It was only in 1987 that the entire length of the turnpike was upgraded to Interstate standards. Due to the difficulty and lives lost in construction, it has been called "88 miles of miracle".[2]