LEBANON, VA – (December 11, 2025) –Findings in a preliminary engineering study of the proposed Coalfields Expressway route recently conducted by Richmond, VA-based ATCS were presented Thursday during a meeting of the Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority in Lebanon, VA.
The study identified 24 potential funding opportunities to pursue and found “completion of the Coalfields Expressway would provide long-term transportation, economic and safety benefits” and further, that “the corridor is well-positioned to support regional transition … strengthen industrial and workforce mobility and improve overall resiliency and access for historically underserved communities.”
The study was commissioned in 2025, by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), in consultation with the Virginia CFX Authority, with the purpose and goal being to identify how best to advance the completion of the CFX.
Virginia CFX Authority Executive Director Jonathan Belcher acknowledged the continuing support of legislators and VDOT in the pursuit of building the CFX and the work of consultants Wendy Thomas and Dan Goldfarb for their work on the new CFX preliminary engineering study.
“The successful completion of the CFX requires a strong collaborative approach involving the CFX Authority, the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA), VDOT, our state and federal legislators, the Governor’s office, localities, planning district commissions and key contractors,” Belcher noted.
In addition to hearing information on the preliminary study, CFX Authority members also re-elected J.H. Rivers, Wise County, chairman; and Scott Mullins, Dickenson County, vice chairman, of the authority for 2026. They join additional board members James Keen, Jay Rife and Ed Talbott, Buchanan County; Harry Childress, Keith Viers and Richard Thacker, Dickenson County; and Don Green, Ronnie Shortt, Wise County; and Philip Cook, Buchanan County, ex officio, Buchanan County Board of Supervisors and John Schoolcraft, Wise County, ex-officio, Wise County Board of Supervisors, in overseeing the work of the authority.
Board members also heard updates from Belcher and from VDOT.
The study presented included a 2045 future conditions analysis which demonstrated the Coalfields Expressway is expected to deliver substantial improvements to mobility, safety, freight movement and regional competitiveness across Wise, Dickenson and Buchanan counties.
“The region is expected to continue shifting from coal dependency toward industries such as light manufacturing, logistics, renewable energy and IT infrastructure, with increased freight demand projected from materials such as gravel, nonmetallic mineral products and timber,” the study found. “Because truck freight is expected to remain the dominant mode, CFX would enhance commercial route reliability and provide improved access to strategic industrial growth areas like Southern Gap Business Park (in Buchanan County) and Red Onion Industrial Park (in Dickenson County).”
The study examined forecast truck volumes and direct connectivity to major freight corridors (US 23 and US 460) and found “the corridor may be eligible for future consideration as a Critical Rural Freight Corridor (CRFC), supporting future competitiveness for federal freight-related funding.”
The study further noted the CFX is also projected to significantly improve regional access to essential services.
“Travel time reductions of up to 40 percent are estimated between Grundy or Haysi and Wise or Abingdon, supporting improved access to healthcare, emergency services, education and workforce development institutions,” the study noted, adding, “Stakeholder input reinforced that improved transportation connectivity would support population retention, attract new employers and reduce barriers to economic participation and training opportunities.”
The study also noted, although meaningful advances have occurred where CFX overlaps with Corridor Q/US 460 in Buchanan County, the majority of the five remaining CFX segments remain unfunded and unimproved. Currently, approximately five miles of CFX are open in Buchanan County with another two miles to open in 2027, all of which are also part of Corridor Q/US 460. The total mileage of the CFX in Virginia is approximately 50 miles, which will connect with West Virginia’s portion of the CFX which will be about 65 miles.
“Overall, completion of CFX would provide substantial benefits in terms of safety, freight mobility, economic transition and access to essential services,” the study noted. “The findings support the need to accelerate CFX development to position the region for industrial investment, reduce transportation barriers and support long-term diversification.”
In his executive director’s report, Belcher provided an update on CFX Authority active projects which included the ATCS preliminary engineering study results discussed at the meeting, as well as on the US 121/460 Poplar Creek Phase B paving project; US 460 Connector Phase II paving project; the addition of CFX to ARC ADHS project; the US 121/460 tourism signage project; the US DOT RTA planning grant project; and CFX public relations projects.
Completed projects he identified included the CFX (US 121) Grundy to WV State Line pre-engineering study; a CFX economic impact study project; the US 121/460 Intersection & Hawk’s Nest paving project; the US 121/460 Poplar Creek Phase A paving project; the CFX Authority operational funds project; and the CFX Corridor Q signage project.
He noted the US 121/460 Poplar Creek Phase A & B paving project is ongoing with Phase A completed and the route dedicated in October of this year and Phase B expected to be complete in late 2027. A total of $7 million in FY24 congressionally directed spending funds are being used for the paving of additional lanes on both sections. When finished, it will complete the four-lane from the Town of Grundy to the Southern Gap Industrial Park and mixed-use development. Buchanan County is providing the required $1.75 million match.
The US 460 Connector Phase II paving project is pending funding, including $7 million from a congressionally directed spending (CDS) request. The funds would be used toward a project to four-lane approximately four miles of US 460 from the intersection with VA Route 80 near the Breaks Interstate Park to the intersection of VA Route 609 where it joins the CFX (US 121). The funds are needed to complete four-laning of the roadway from Grundy, VA to Pikeville, KY.
The project was added to the state’s six-year road plan and Buchanan County agreed to provide the required $1.75 million match and also has applied for VDOT revenue sharing funds for that project.
Additionally, the Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) has requested AMLER funds from Virginia Energy.
Belcher also noted in June 2024, the CFX Authority voted to request that the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) add the CFX to its Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) so that the remaining sections of the CFX in Virginia would be eligible to apply for ARC funding, which he said could be critical to the completion of the road. Currently, Belcher said, only the sections that overlay US 460 within Corridor Q (around seven miles) are within the ADHS.
A letter was sent to ARC and in September 2024, Belcher said, a response letter was received from the executive director of ARC stating it would “require an act of Congress” to add the CFX.
“Since that time, the CFX Authority has been working with the region’s federal legislators on a draft bill to Congress that would add miles to the ADHS which would allow for the CFX to be included,” Belcher said. “That project remains ongoing.”
Also pending is a plan to develop tourism-related signage along the CFX corridor. A $100,000 grant was previously approved for the Buchanan County IDA to explore the concept of developing scenic viewing pullovers along the route, but following meetings with stakeholders, it was decided developing tourism-related signage might be more desirable. That change will be considered by the VCEDA board at its meeting on December 18.
Lastly, Belcher noted with the assistance of the Cumberland Plateau Planning District Commission (CPPDC) and ATCS, a grant application has been submitted to the US Department of Transportation’s Rural and Tribal Assistance (RTA) Pilot Program.
“If approved, this grant would fund further planning and implementation on the study to develop an updated and targeted strategic plan for the funding and development of the remaining sections of CFX, as well as an updated economic impact analysis of the CFX,” Belcher said. “The CFX remains a critical piece of infrastructure needed in the region.”
Interested persons may find a link to the study presentation on the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) website at CFX-Preliminary-Engineering-Study_CFXA-Board_12-11-25-vf2.pdf.
About the Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority: The Virginia Coalfields Expressway Authority was formed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2017 to improve the transportation into, from, within and through Southwest Virginia; to assist in regional economic development; and to generally enhance highway safety in the affected localities of Southwest Virginia. The Coalfields Expressway, designated as U.S. Route 121 and a Congressional High Priority Corridor, is a proposed limited-access highway to provide a modern, safe and efficient transportation artery through the coalfields region of far Southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia. The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority provides staff support to the authority board. www.vceda.us/cfxauthority.
(PHOTO CAPTION: Consultants Wendy Thomas and Dan Goldfarb presented the findings of a preliminary engineering study on the Coalfields Expressway conducted by ATCS during Thursday’s CFX Authority meeting in Lebanon.)