I-77 driving in WV (Charleston, Fairmont: motorhomes, design, land)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
WE ARE TAKING A 40 ' MOTORHOME FROM FL TO NIAGRA FALLS, HOW BAD IS I-77 IN WV, I AM A BIG CHICKEN ON HILLS AND CURVES, ANY HELP IS GREAT. MY HUSBAND SAYS" DON'T WORRY" EASY FOR HIM TO SAY HE ISN'T A CHICKEN. I AM NOT EVEN SURE IF I AM DOING THIS RIGHT, BUT I HOPE SOMEONE WILL ANSWER.
THANKS, CHICKEN LITTLE SHIRLEY
The speed limit in West Virginia is how fast can you not hit a deer.
A few hours north of Charlotte, NC, in Wytheville, VA (intersection of I-77 and I-81), be sure to top off your gas as there's a lot of nothing between there and the next something. Check your fluids. On downgrades, don't ride your breaks, slowly pump them. When you stop at rest areas, etc., put your hand beside the brakes to feel how hot they are, smell them, make sure they're not burning.
There are inclines and grades crossing the Eastern Continental Divide. For the suggestion box : make a judgement call around Wytheville, VA, and if you are afraid, go around . . that's why god created I-81.
Another tip for saving your brakes... drop the transmission down a gear and let engine compression do some of the braking for you. I even do that with my Trailblazer, which has nice big discs on all four corners.
With a motorhome, pay attention to those "Trucks 50mph" warning signs. All too often there's a sharp curve at the bottom of a long grade (I-68 at Cheat Lake, for example), and you don't want to tip that motorhome over on its side.
The speed limit in West Virginia is how fast can you not hit a deer.
Drove up I-79 to MoTown yesterday from Chas - beside the road throughout the 3 hour drive were 9 dead deer. Our highway guys usually do a great job of gathering up the bodies - thank heavens for them!
By-the-by: What a mess on I-79 near the I-68 and I-79 split. They are working on the bridge near the split and traffic is down to 1 lane in each direction. Traffic was backed up big time and I went through about 3pm so it wasn't rush hour traffic and there was no home game this weekend.
What's up - The bridge looked like it was pretty torn up, didn't look like it was just paving. Thought they just repaired that thing.
If you can't handle a trip that's as easy as following major interstates, perhaps staying home would be easier on your nerves.
I-77 is... an interstate. I don't think there's a straight road anywhere in West Virginia outside of South Charleston, and even then, they're hard to come by. Lots of curves.
Might I inquire as to who is going to be doing the driving?
It was a herculean effort for engineers to navigate the concrete band of road from one land parcel to another...Judges and Congressmen had bought up the right of way and then let the highway department do their duty...put in the road for the betterment of Wv...we call that stretch of highway from Goshen Road to Fairmont.."DEATH VALLEY"
One of the striking features are the angled bridges in the lower canyons...the constant pounding of the big rigs destroy the approaches and the shock of the wheels creating downward force and road shock through the concrete shatters the road bed...
They are inspected constantly...and shut down for repair and replacement...
A better road design could have been created if a proper right-of-way procedure had been followed...the deadly curves would have been prevented and correct bridges could have been built...this segment of the interstate is a fiasco and a monument of the graft of the 'grifters who made a few hundred thousand from the land and the shakedown of the subs involved...
please count the memorial crosses instead of the dead deer...it tells the story that reminds us year after year...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.