 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "West Virginia Route 9" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 West Virginia Route 9 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byWVDOH | ||||
| Length | 74.0 mi[1] (119.1 km) | |||
| Tourist routes |  Washington Heritage Trail | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  MD 51 inPaw Paw | |||
| Major intersections |
| |||
| East end |  SR 9 nearKeyes Gap | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | West Virginia | |||
| Counties | Morgan,Hampshire,Berkeley,Jefferson | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
West Virginia Route 9 (WV 9) is a major east–weststate highway located in the eastern extents ofWest Virginia'sEastern Panhandle. The western terminus of the route is at theMaryland state line on the north edge ofPaw Paw, where WV 9 becomesMaryland Route 51 (MD 51) upon crossing thePotomac River. The eastern terminus is at theVirginia state line atKeyes Gap nearMannings, West Virginia, where WV 9 continues onward asVirginia State Route 9 (SR 9).
With no east–westUS Highway in the region, WV 9 acts as the major east–west transportation artery betweenMorgan,Berkeley, andJefferson counties. WV 9 briefly entersHampshire County where it intersects withWV 29 nearPin Oak.
U.S. SenatorRobert C. Byrd began securing funding for the projects in the early 1990s. Shortly thereafter, a short portion of the road along the southern edge of Martinsburg was widened to four lanes, from Queen Street to Kelly Island Road. In the mid-2000s, a short stretch was also widened to four lanes fromInterstate 81 (I-81) west to Harlan Springs Road.
The next significant project did not take place until September 2007, when a four-mile (6.4 km) stretch of the road opened up from Charles Town, throughBardane to Leetown Road inKearneysville.
In early 2008, the future west-bound lanes of traffic were opened to two-way traffic from Kelly Island Road to, and over,Opequon Creek. This allowed for the former road surface to be pulled up and the eastbound lanes to be built. It also allowed for the demolition of the old bridge over the Opequon, which had been the site of several fatal accidents.
In April 2009, a short 1.3-mile (2.1 km) section of the new WV 9 was opened from the Eastern Regional Jail to the Opequon Creek bridge. A four-mile (6.4 km) section of WV 9 from the Eastern Regional Jail to Short Road was completed at the end of 2009. Construction from Short Road to Leetown Road was completed in August 2010.
The stretch from theVirginia line to Charles Town was the most recent stage of construction. A pair of new bridges spanU.S. Route 340 (US 340) south of Charles Town. The bypass carries WV 9 away from its previous winding route across theShenandoah River and theBlue Ridge. Instead, it follows a straight path near Cattail Run Road, connecting withVirginia Route 9 atKeyes Gap.
Despite opposition from some Virginia residents, who were concerned about increasing traffic along the narrow, winding stretch of SR 9 through the town ofHillsboro, this stretch of road opened to traffic on November 14, 2012.[2]
In April 2008, a section of the road, which passes by hisGap View Farm home, was named and dedicated inFrank Buckles's honor by then-West Virginia GovernorJoe Manchin.[3]
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan | Paw Paw | 0.0 | 0.0 |  MD 51 north (Oldtown Road) –Cumberland | Maryland state line |
| Hampshire | |     WV 29 south toUS 50 | Northern terminus of WV 29 | ||
| Morgan | Berkeley Springs |  US 522 north (Washington Street) –Hancock, MD | West end of US 522 concurrency | ||
| US 522 south (Washington Street) –Winchester, VA | East end of US 522 concurrency | ||||
| Berkeley | Hedgesville |   WV 901 east (Mary Street) –Spring Mills | Western terminus of WV 901 | ||
| |  I-81 –Hagerstown,Winchester | I-81 exit 16 | |||
| Martinsburg |  US 11 north / Raleigh Street –Williamsport, MD | West end of US 11 concurrency | |||
 WV 45 east (Moler Avenue) –Shepherdstown | West end of WV 45 concurrency | ||||
 US 11 south (King Street) toI-81 | East end of US 11 concurrency | ||||
| |  WV 45 west toI-81 –Glengary | East end of WV 45 concurrency; interchange | |||
| |  CR 9/17 (Opequon Lane) –Baker Heights | interchange | |||
| | 56.8 | 91.4 |  CR 9/19 (Short Road) | interchange | |
| Jefferson | | 59.2 | 95.3 |   CR 1 toWV 480 –Kearneysville,Shepherdstown,Leetown | interchange |
| Ranson | 61.2 | 98.5 |  CR 8 (Wiltshire Road) –Bardane | interchange | |
| 63.4 | 102.0 |   WV 115 / CR 9/1 (Currie Road) –Ranson | interchange | ||
| 65.8 | 105.9 |  CR 17 (Flowing Springs Road) | interchange | ||
| | 66.2 | 106.5 |   US 340 north /WV 51 west –Charles Town,Harpers Ferry | Interchange; west end of US 340 concurrency | |
| | 67.4 | 108.5 | US 340 south –Berryville, VA | Interchange; east end of US 340 concurrency | |
| |  WV 115 west (Charles Town Road) / CR 32 (Chestnut Hill Road) | ||||
| | 74.0 | 119.1 | SR 9 east (Charles Town Pike) –Leesburg | Virginia state line | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
