By Jody Brumage

Corridor L is one of West Virginia’s segments of the Appalachian Development Highway System, connecting two U.S. Interstates, I-77 and I-79. The road travels over one of the state’s most recognizable landmarks, the New River Gorge Bridge, and is an important link to major tourist and recreation sites. Like the other corridor highways in West Virginia, Corridor L was originally planned in 1965 with the passage of the Appalachian Regional Development Act. Construction on the highway, originally a two-lane road, was initiated in 1969 and completed a decade later, extending for 70.2 miles through Raleigh, Fayette, Nicholas, and Braxton Counties.  The famous bridge, carrying the highway over the New River, was completed in 1977 and stood as the world’s longest single-arch steel span (a record which remained unbroken until 2003).​