U.S. Route 19 in West Virginia

U.S. Route 19 in West Virginia
State	WV
Type	US
Route	19
Length mi	253.0
Established	1926
Direction a	South
Terminus a	Bluefield
Direction b	North
Terminus b	Mount Morris
Counties	Mercer County, Raleigh County, Fayette County, Nicholas County, Greenbrier County, Braxton County, Lewis County, Harrison County, Monongalia County

U.S. Route 19 in West Virginia

U.S. Route 19 traverses the state of West Virginia from Bluefield at the Virginia border northward toward Mount Morris, forming a principal arterial linking the Appalachian Mountains corridor with the Monongahela River valley. The highway serves as a trunk for connections to Interstate 64, Interstate 77, Interstate 79, and historic routes such as U.S. Route 60 and U.S. Route 50, while providing access to regional centers including Beckley, Fayetteville, Morgantown, and industrial sites near Princeton.

Route description

U.S. Route 19 enters West Virginia from Tazewell County into Mercer County at Bluefield, intersecting U.S. Route 460 and passing near Bluefield State College before meeting Interstate 77. The corridor continues north through the Pocahontas Coalfield region, intersecting Interstate 64 near Hinton and providing access to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve via spur roads and connections to U.S. Route 60. In Fayette County, the route descends toward Hawks Nest and Glen Jean, intersecting state routes that serve Beards Fork, Oak Hill, and the Prince coal mine vicinity.

Northward through Nicholas County and Greenbrier County, U.S. 19 crosses the Gauley River watershed, meeting U.S. Route 60 near Summersville and linking to recreational access points for Bluestone Lake and Bluestone State Park. The highway climbs to the Allegheny Plateau in Braxton County, intersecting Interstate 79 and routing through the municipal area of Sutton and the historic Elkins corridor. In Lewis County and Harrison County, U.S. 19 serves Weston and approaches the Monongahela River basin, connecting with U.S. Route 50 and serving as the primary approach to Morgantown, home to West Virginia University. North of Morgantown, the route crosses into Marion County and exits into Pennsylvania near Mount Morris.

History

The alignment of U.S. Route 19 follows older pathways including the Northwestern Turnpike and regional trails that predate the numbered highway system established by the AASHO in 1926. Early 20th-century improvements were influenced by the Good Roads Movement and federal aid programs tied to the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921, which enabled paving through coalfield towns such as Princeton and Beckley. During the Great Depression, New Deal initiatives like the Works Progress Administration funded bridge and grade projects along the corridor, improving access to New River crossings and Kanawha River tributaries.

Post-World War II expansion, including construction associated with the Interstate Highway System under the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, reconfigured portions of U.S. 19 to accommodate growing automobile and trucking traffic, producing bypasses around downtowns such as Oak Hill and grade-separated interchanges near Ghent. The rise of regional coal and natural gas extraction in the late 20th and early 21st centuries prompted capacity upgrades and safety projects coordinated by the West Virginia Department of Transportation and local metropolitan planning organizations in Beckley and Morgantown.

Major intersections

- Southern terminus at the Virginia–West Virginia border near Bluefield; junction with U.S. Route 460 and access to Interstate 77. - Interchange with Interstate 64 near Hinton; connection to Charleston and White Sulphur Springs via U.S. Route 60. - Concurrency with U.S. Route 60 and junctions serving Glen Jean, Fayetteville, and the New River Gorge Bridge approaches. - Junction with Interstate 79 in central Braxton County providing routes to Morgantown and Charleston. - Intersections with U.S. Route 33 and U.S. Route 50 in the north-central portion, serving Clarksburg and Bridgeport corridors. - Northern Wisconsin border crossing into Pennsylvania near Mount Morris; connection to U.S. Route 119 and regional arterials.

Special routes

Several business routes and bypasses exist along the corridor to serve urban centers and industrial districts, including business loops through Bluefield, Beckley, and Morgantown. Designated truck routes and temporary detours have been established to manage heavy vehicle flows around constrained mountain passes and to facilitate access to terminals serving CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern intermodal facilities. Scenic byway designations and historic route markers in areas adjacent to the New River Gorge and Appalachian National Scenic Trail highlight cultural resources tied to John Brown-era history and regional nineteenth-century industrial development.

Future and upgrades

Planned improvements coordinated by the West Virginia Division of Highways include widening, resurfacing, and interchange modernization projects funded through state transportation programs and federal grants administered in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration. Priority projects target bottlenecks near Beckley, safety enhancements on mountain-grade sections in Fayette County, and access upgrades near West Virginia University research parks in Morgantown. Long-range corridor studies reference connections to Appalachian Regional Commission initiatives and advocate multimodal integration with Amtrak corridors and regional transit agencies to support economic development in former coalfield communities such as Beards Fork and Coal City.

Category:U.S. Numbered Highways in West Virginia