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Easily recoverable coal and wet gas resources will give the Northern Panhandle's Marshall County unprecedented wealth, making it West Virginia's richest county.
I can't wait to see how this area grows! It will surely spill into Wheeling, which was once WV third largest city just barely behind Huntington and Charleston.
That area, and in particular Wheeling, has sooo much potential. I'm sure that Marshall county and the surrounding area will soon be filled out once again.
Though, I hope that they keep in mind what has happened in the past with natural resources. I say that they need to try and use some of the money that they make to further diversify their economy. They don't want to put all of their eggs in one basket.
The important thing is they have to make sure the politicians don't get their hands on the money. Considering the adjacent areas in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania the Wheeling area was once easily not only the most prosperous part of the state, but also the most populous. The decline of the steel industry reversed those fortunes. The potential of energy can reverse that decline. Marshall County, along with Belmont County in Ohio, are gold mines waiting to happen.
The important thing is they have to make sure the politicians don't get their hands on the money. Considering the adjacent areas in Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania the Wheeling area was once easily not only the most prosperous part of the state, but also the most populous. The decline of the steel industry reversed those fortunes. The potential of energy can reverse that decline. Marshall County, along with Belmont County in Ohio, are gold mines waiting to happen.
Wheeling needs to protect its wealth from a corrupt state government and energy interest who stole all of WV's coal providing both benefits to WV and left a mess.
Hopefully some of that prosperity will seep south into Wetzel and Tyler. And please, please, please extend 68 to hook up with I-70.
It would if the state would build infrastructure and provide funding to the new economic heart of WV in the north. However, the benefits to the south are limited by the states lack of support. They are stopping huge long term benefits for very small very short term benefits. For every dollar invested in the north of WV they would get several dollars back. For every dollar you take from northern wv is several dollars you will lose in the long run.
I think that upgrading 250 to an Interstate and connecting Wheeling to Fairmont would be a good idea.
That would not only connect Wheeling to Morgnatown and the Eastern part of the state, but it would give them a direct connection to the southern part of the state as well.
Our interstates in WV connect all of the bigger cities together with the exception of Wheeling. If that part of the state becomes as prosperous as they predict, then hopefully the state will consider an upgrade to that route or at least something similar.
I-68 currently connects to I-70 and to I-79. Are you talking about extending I-68 further west of I-79?
Yeah, Bill, west from Morgantown to Hundred, Littleton, Cameron, Moundsville, then northwest to I-70 somewhere west of Wheeling. Maybe a spur from Hundred to New Martinsville.
Instead of following WV-7 west from Morgantown, another alternative would be to follow US-250 from Fairmont to Mannington to Hundred.
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