US 250 and 340 in West Virginia
US 250 in West Virginia
US 250 | |||
Get started | wheeling | ||
End | Thornwood | ||
Length | 185 mi | ||
Length | 298 km | ||
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US 250 is a US Highway in the US state of West Virginia. The road forms a diagonal east-west route through the north and east of the state and is 298 kilometers long.
- Topschoolsoflaw: State overview and brief history of West Virginia, including its geography and popular cities.
Travel directions
The US 250 between Wheeling and Fairmont.
US 250 in Ohio comes from New Philadelphia and crosses the Ohio River at Wheeling along with US 40. US 250 also partially coincides with Interstate 70 through Wheeling. From Wheeling south, US 250 is a freeway, coincident with State Route 2. The freeway ends at McMechen after 10 miles and is a 4-lane at-grade road after that. US 250 follows the Ohio River valley south to the town of Moundsville, before turning off.
US 250 then forms a serpentine route through the hill country from Moundsville to Fairmont, a 100-mile stretch that leads through sparsely populated areas. The US 250 runs close to the Pennsylvania border here but does not cross major roads. In Fairmont one crosses US 19, after which US 250 has a connection to Interstate 79 south of Fairmont.
US 250 then runs south through an area with a concentration of US Highways, crossing US 33, US 48, US 50 in quick succession and double numbering with US 219. The US 250 passes through or past a number of larger villages, of which Elkins is the most important. In this region the mountains are a lot higher, with the characteristic valleys and ridges running parallel to each other. US 250 here crosses two of the highest mountain passes in West Virginia, approximately 1,100 and 1,300 feet, the latter on the Virginia border. The US 250 in Virginia then continues to Staunton.
- thembaprograms: Charleston, West Virginia, including animals and plants. Also covers brief history and major cities of the state.
History
Philippi’s covered bridge.
US 250 was added to the US Highways network in 1928. The southern terminus at the time was US 50 at Grafton. In 1935, US 250 was extended further southeast to Richmond, Virginia, establishing the entire route through West Virginia.
US 250 is largely secondary in nature, although it is the only connection between the northern and eastern panhandles of West Virginia. However, there are no larger towns on the route except Wheeling. However, the Ohio River area is somewhat urbanized, here the US 250 has been developed together with State Route 2 as a short freeway. This was built before 1994.
What is special is that the US 250 at Philippi crosses the Philippi Covered Bridge, the only covered bridge of the US Highway system. The bridge dates from 1852 and was reinforced in 1934 with additional piers and a concrete deck due to the increased traffic. The bridge was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1989, but restored again.
US 340 in West Virginia
US 340 | |||
Get started | rippon | ||
End | Harpers Ferry | ||
Length | 15 mi | ||
Length | 24 km | ||
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US 340 is a US Highway in the US state of West Virginia. The road forms a short north-south route in the far east of the state and is 15 miles (15 km) long.
Travel directions
US 340 around Charles Town.
US 340 runs through the far east of the West Virginia panhandle. US 340 in Virginia comes from Front Royal and runs through a valley around the town of Charles Town. US 340 is relatively well developed, most of it is a 2×2 divided highway and there are some grade separations on the Charles Town bypass. At Harpers Ferry there is a bridge over the Shenandoah River, then US 340 again briefly crosses Virginia, then a bridge over the Potomac River at Sandy Hook and US 340 in Maryland continues as a freeway to Frederick.
History
US 340 was one of the original US Highways of 1926 and has always passed through West Virginia.
US 340 originally crossed the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry and so did not cross Virginia briefly a second time. However, the bridge was swept away during a flood in 1936. Because of the Second World War, a new bridge was delayed and the decision was made to move US 340 around Harpers Ferry, with a new bridge over both the Shenandoah River and the Potomac River, with the road running briefly (0.9 km) through Virginia. This connection opened to traffic in 1947.
In or before the 1980s, US 340 between Charles Town and Harpers Ferry was widened to a 2×2 divided highway. In the 1990s, the rerouting of Charles Town was realized with 2×2 lanes and a few split-level connections.