Highway Warnings (Charleston, Beckley, Bluefield: buy, living in, prices)

[David Kennedy]

Its a mix of very poor planning on the road:

A hop scotch of concrete from one political cronies land parcel to anothers. This entire road could have been straightened out but it had to pass through certain specific land parcels.
Highway engineers can only do so much...

Part of it is the movement of wind forces in the hollows and this moves across the elevated sections and causes them to freeze more quickly.

Also the suspensions of these cars and I see a lot of the Chevrolet SUV's on their tops in the median...they do not have a racing suspension in any sense of the word and to drive them at 85/90 mph is over reaching on their capabilities. These cars are top heavy and when they start bobbing in the curves they cannot be controled.

This section of highway has only slightly elevated curves and the big rigs will attest to this when they go over and spill.

[harborlady]

I've taken both routes.
Some interstate through maryland that crosses over the massive mtn heights, then connects with I79. The other route was I81 south to I64 west.
While both have their upside and downside, for someone more experienced being a 'flatlander' I prefer I81. At lease I can use cruise control on a larger % of the trip. I learned to coast downhill in rocky mtns years ago, but maybe I didn't learn enough because I vapor locked twice. Similar problems in Pa going east/west.
The northern portion of I79 and I81 were hard to anticipate, but I think I79 was worse because the speed limits don't match up with the curves you have to negotiate. Northern I81 was a construction zone last time I took it (in Pa I believe), so even though the curves were pretty scary looking, the speed for through traffic met the conditions.

[NOVAmtneer82]

I will agree that I-79 between Weston and Morgantown is somewhat dangerous as I travel on it everytime I come in from DC to visit family, however, it in NO WAY compares to the WV Turnpike between Charleston and Princeton. That stretch of road is the most narrow, windy, dangerous piece I have ever had the priviledge of driving on, and you get to pay tolls for the pleasure of using it!

[citybilly]

As a recent transplant, all those little roadside memorials along the 79 are startling. I wondered if local drivers were not too skilled, or what? Maybe it's newbies like me that are the problem. It does seem like a lack of smooth traffic flow, with extreme "piddling" and speeding, mixed together. But the 2 big accidents in Fairmont recently were both rear-enders, people not paying attention when traffic stopped. Maybe I'll just stay home and play with my rosary beads. Kinda weird, tho, since I'm not Catholic.

[David Kennedy]

Put a peg in your cellphone and twirl it like a tibetan prayer wheel...What kills 'em dead is the 'need for speed...

[sarahreed87]

I will probably kill myself on one of these roads.

I speed like the tazmanean devil, but I'm not always so careful. Finally I got my first speeding ticket a few weeks ago. The police officer looked peeved and didn't say anything beyond what was necessary. I've also been driving around with dishes given to me from my sister and that helps me drive more carefully lol in addition to the realization that, even if most people speed most get caught eventually.

Yeah.. not cool.. driving accidents cause so many fatalities.. There are bad roads, careless and bad or drunk drivers.. we all have our moments though of emergencies where we need to fly.. but for the most part that should be an anomaly. Speeding for work is just not worth it if someone dies. Speeding for a woman in labor, now I can see that lol!

[harborlady]

Sara I was driving today and thought of your post. I took my lead foot off the gas and kept 5 car spaces in front of me. Thanks for reminding me.

[GottaHerdOn]

Originally Posted by sarahreed87

I will probably kill myself on one of these roads.

I speed like the tazmanean devil, but I'm not always so careful. Finally I got my first speeding ticket a few weeks ago. The police officer looked peeved and didn't say anything beyond what was necessary. I've also been driving around with dishes given to me from my sister and that helps me drive more carefully lol in addition to the realization that, even if most people speed most get caught eventually.

Yeah.. not cool.. driving accidents cause so many fatalities.. There are bad roads, careless and bad or drunk drivers.. we all have our moments though of emergencies where we need to fly.. but for the most part that should be an anomaly. Speeding for work is just not worth it if someone dies. Speeding for a woman in labor, now I can see that lol!

You haven't met my boss or some of my professors have you? ha ha

[Robhu]

Originally Posted by GottaHerdOn

You haven't met my boss or some of my professors have you? ha ha

Your bosses or professors would rather see yu late than not at all

[snorpus]

jfronz,

If you think the WV Turnpike is bad now...

When originally constructed, the turnpike was just two lanes (i.e., one in each direction). Occasionally there would be a third lane for passing, which could be used by traffic going in either direction!

There was one rest area - gas station that to get into and out of it, you crossed the lane going in the other direction, just like on regular highways.