GRUNDY, VA – JANUARY 13, 2025 – A preliminary engineering study examining the potential to establish a scenic wildlife viewing pullover on Corridor Q in Buchanan County will be conducted by the Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) due to $100,000 in grants approved and closed recently between the IDA and the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA).
An up to $50,000 grant was approved from the VCEDA Tourism Capital Improvement Matching Fund and an up to $50,000 grant was approved from the VCEDA Buchanan County Account. Jointly, they are being used to fund the study and its subsequent preliminary engineering report. The report will focus on determining the best location(s) and estimated costs of the project, with any leftover funding to be applied toward actual construction.
“Viewing of the elk and other wildlife has already become one of the top tourism draws in Buchanan County,” said Jonathan Belcher, VCEDA executive director/general counsel. “It is already having an economic impact on the local economy, with just one example being the annual Elk Fest held at Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure (SGOA), which is located adjacent to Corridor Q.”
Approximately eight miles of Corridor Q opened in Buchanan County in November 2023 and the remaining five miles are scheduled to open by 2027. The westernmost five miles of this section of road is the new US 460 and the other eight miles are the combined new US 460/US 121 which is part of the Coalfields Expressway.
The Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority, which is staffed by VCEDA, has secured the necessary funding for around two-thirds of those 13 miles to be built as a four-lane highway and is working on securing the funding for the remaining third to be widened into a four-lane. About four miles of the eight miles opened last November were built and opened as a four-lane, thanks to the efforts of the CFX Authority, Buchanan County and the region’s federal legislators.
The new road, which will have significantly more traffic once fully opened in 2027, is frequented by numerous elk and other wildlife, thanks to the elk restoration program operated by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR). The elk migrate along the road and in habitat surrounding both sides of the road.
As a result, Belcher noted, it has made it a very common occurrence for vehicles to pull off the road onto the gravel shoulder to view the elk.
Belcher noted the Breaks Interstate Park, which is located along the route and which in conjunction with SGOA offers elk viewing tours, has suggested it would be a good idea to have dedicated area(s) along the road where people could pull off and view the elk and other wildlife. The CFX Authority has met with the Breaks Interstate Park, DWR, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and Buchanan County to discuss the concept of scenic wildlife viewing pullovers and VDOT assisted in identifying several potential locations for pullover(s) along VDOT’s right-of-way, Belcher noted.
The pullover likely would initially just be a paved area with a basic tourism kiosk or signboard, but because Corridor Q is a limited access highway, there may be certain access and design requirements that must be followed. The IDA, CFX Authority, VDOT, Breaks Interstate Park and DWR will collaborate on the project.
“I’m very pleased to see the IDA receive this grant and am eager to move forward on this project,” said Buchanan County IDA Executive Director Matt Fields. “The Coalfields Expressway is not only a huge economic development asset to Buchanan, but is also a tourism asset for the county as it showcases what makes our area so unique and beautiful. We are hopeful this project will allow those traveling the road an opportunity to see Buchanan’s natural beauty, but also the wildlife and restored elk herd we are proud of.”
About Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority and Southwest Virginia’s e-Region: The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1988 to enhance and diversify the region’s economy and help create jobs, markets Southwest Virginia’s e-Region and its focus on electronic information technology, energy, education, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurship. VCEDA is a unique economic development organization that manages funds for economic development projects from a percentage of the coal and natural gas severance taxes paid by coal and natural gas companies that operate in the region. Located in southwestern Virginia, the region includes Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the City of Norton. www.vceda.us or www.e-Region.org.