West Virginia Route 97

(Redirected from Route 97 (West Virginia))

West Virginia Route 97 is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 52 and West Virginia Route 80 in Hanover. The eastern terminus is at exit 42 of the West Virginia Turnpike (Interstate 64 and Interstate 77) in Mabscott. West Virginia Route 16, which runs concurrent with WV 97 between Sophia and Mabscott, continues north into Beckley on Robert C. Byrd Drive, the right-of-way of both WV 16 and WV 97.

West Virginia Route 97 marker
West Virginia Route 97
Route information
Maintained by WVDOH
Length48.9 mi[1] (78.7 km)
Major junctions
West end US 52 / WV 80 in Hanover
Major intersections
East end I-64 / I-77 / WV 16 in Mabscott
Location
CountryUnited States
StateWest Virginia
CountiesWyoming, Raleigh
Highway system
WV 95 WV 98
View east along WV 97 at WV 10 in Pineville

Major intersections

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CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
WyomingHanover0.00.0   US 52 / WV 80 – Welch, Williamson, Gilbert
Baileysville 
 
WV 971 north – Oceana
Southern terminus of WV 971.
Pineville 
 
WV 10 south – Mullens, Welch
Western terminus of WV 10 concurrency.
 
 
WV 10 north – Logan
Eastern terminus of WV 10 concurrency.
Maben 
 
WV 54 south – Mullens
Southern terminus of WV 54 concurrency.
RaleighLester 
 
WV 305 north
Southern terminus of WV 305.
 
 
 
 
WV 16 north / WV 121 south – Beckley
interchange
westbound: east end of WV 54 overlap
 
 
WV 16 south – Sophia
eastbound intersection only: east end of WV 54 overlap; west end of WV 16 overlap
 
 
 
 
WV 121 south (local traffic only) / WV 16 south – Sophia
interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance
westbound: west end of WV 16 overlap
MacArthur   
 
I-64 / I-77 / WV 16 north – Charleston, Bluefield, Beckley
I-77 exit 42; east end of WV 16 overlap
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

History

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State Route 97 connects U.S. Highway 52 in the western end of Wyoming County with the county seat of Pineville and goes on to State Route 54 in Maben. Following the linkage of Interstate 64 to the West Virginia Turnpike south of Beckley, the state continued State Route 97 signage across existing State Route 54 to State Route 16 in Sophia and on to the junction with the Turnpike's newly constructed South Valley Drive (now renamed Robert C. Byrd Drive) exit number 42. As a main thoroughfare in Wyoming County, Route 97 serves the coal industry and its workers, and the heavy truck traffic following brought many accidents and made maintenance nearly impossible. The last 20 years have brought improvements and widening to the road, and it could soon lose much traffic to the Coalfields Expressway, a highway that will link the Turnpike to Pineville, Welch, and Buchanan County, Virginia.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Distance calculated using Microsoft MapPoint mapping software.