WV 9
West Virginia Route 9 (WV 9) is a major east–west state highway located in the eastern extents of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle. The western terminus of the route is at the Maryland state line north of Paw Paw, where WV 9 becomes Maryland Route 51 (MD 51) upon crossing the Potomac River. The eastern terminus is at the Virginia state line at Keyes Gap near Mannings, West Virginia, where WV 9 continues onward as State Route 9 (SR 9).
With no east–west US Highway in the region, WV 9 acts as the major east–west transportation artery between Morgan, Berkeley, and Jefferson counties. WV 9 briefly enters Hampshire County where it intersects with WV 29 near Pin Oak.
WV 9 is currently undergoing a major upgrade. There are two distinct sections for which upgrades are planned—the Virginia line to Charles Town and Martinsburg to Berkeley Springs. An upgrade on the section from Charles Town to Martinsburg was completed in 2010.
U.S. Senator Robert 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 upgraded to four lanes, from Queen Street to Kelly Island Road. In the mid-2000s, a short stretch was also upgraded to four lanes from Interstate 81 (I-81) west to Harlan Springs Road
The next significant improvement did not take place until September 2007, when a four-mile (6.4 km) stretch of the upgraded road opened up from Charles Town, through Bardane to Leetown Road in Kearneysville.
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.
Construction has also begun on the stretch from the Virginia line to Charles Town. A pair of new bridges span U.S. Route 340 (US 340) south of Charles Town, and there are closures of Bloomery Road, west of the river, and Hosler Road, east of the river, to facilitate overpass construction. The construction path carries WV 9 away from its current winding route across the Shenandoah River and the Blue Ridge. Instead, it follows a straight path near Cattail Run, connecting to existing SR 9 right at Keyes Gap. Despite opposition from some Virginia residents, who are concerned about increasing traffic along the narrow, winding stretch of SR 9 through the town of Hillsboro, this stretch of road will open to traffic on November 14, 2012.
The western leg of WV 9 from Martinsburg to Berkeley Springs has seen much less evidence of progress than the eastern leg.
There has been no discussion of expanding Route from Berkeley Springs to Paw Paw, as it is lightly traveled, across the winding Cacapon River valley, and would be difficult to build without destroying much natural landscape.
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.
In November 2012, the new four-lane segment of WV 9 from Charles Town to the Virginia state line opened to traffic. The four-lane highway meets with the existing SR 9 atop the mountain.
In April 2008, a section of the road, which passes by his Gap View Farm home, was named and dedicated in Frank Buckles's honor by then-West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin.