Here's you new route from DC

I did this in 3 hours to Bethesda....With the new stretch of Corridor H open from Moorefield to Foreman, a new set of directions is needed for those who want to spend less time driving. It involves using 66 West so departing during rush hour is not advisable.

From home go to 66 West, then go South on I-81 at the end of 66. In three miles, take the second exit and turn right at the stop sign on HWY 55 West. The speed limit on 66 once you get past Haymarket and also on 81 is now 70 MPH. It just got changed.(70 minutes)

Drive 20 miles on 55 West to the sign for new HWY 55 and take new HWY 55. (25 minutes)

Go 35 miles on the new HWY to the end at Patterson Creek Road (Route 5). Turn right to go north one mile. (35 minutes)

Turn left on Greenland Gap Road and drive 6 miles to T intersection or similar ending where you turn or bear left on Scherr Road and go another 1/2 mile to HWY 93 at the road with 30 curves. (10 minutes)

Go to Davis and on, as usual. (45 minutes)

Total 185 minutes equals 3 hours 5 minutes.

Good things come to those who wait!

Overnight we are now looking at Corridor H completing to Davis by 2013. This is huge.
Gov. Manchin Announces Plans For Corridor H - WBOY-TV - WBOY.com

Davis Lots for building

Initial lot offerings within the old town Davis grid are shown (roughly located) in yellow. Corner lots will have two houses. the cluster on Thomas near 5th is set for 3 houses.


View Davis Riverwalk in a larger map

Sure, some people still work in coal

But this is not the Davis area's future. WV is number two nationally in an industry in decline. And the worst of it is that the very nature of the industry works against the likely future of WV's mountain regions: tourism, geographically independent businesses, active retirement lifestyles, and recreation.

Babcock Lumber Mill site digitized

Finally done. Hundreds of images have been scanned from the collection of Babcock Lumber Company's archives. Dozens of cool new (to us) images are now available for the public. I am sharing the scan with Cindy Phillips, our town historian of record, and WV University. The point here has been to unearth the only real records of what once stood on the Davis Riverwalk site and the adjacent town park. More to come!

This is not Riverwalk

Over 20 home sites are available in the grid of downtown Davis for two-story, energy-efficient homes with 3 baths, 4 bedrooms, 9ft ceilings, modern and open layouts, hardwood floors, Hardie plank siding, 50-year storm-rated roofing, front porches with Trex decking, stone counters and more. These homes will be engineered: blower-tested, have conditioned crawl spaces, vented attics, engineered trusses and joists. And before all those features, they are DESIGNED for Davis...Victorian boomtown venacular meets lumber mill pragmatism to yield layouts that support today's casual mountain recreation lifestyle. They are designed for Davis' climate as well: extra glass on south facing walls, low use of valleys and dormers, drainage design not requiring gutters, full ice guard wrap under roofing and more.

The expected timeline is: 4 weeks option selection and ordering; 5 weeks production; 6 weeks with finishing out. 15 weeks from signature to move-in. We expect to require 20% down and pre-qualification on financing when ordering. Total home price is now estimated to vary from the mid $100s to high $100s for most homes. Each site+home+options will have a custom quote, provided after a siting and design consultation.

BTW, I say this is 'not Riverwalk' because the sites offered are in the town grid, on streets such as Thomas, Blackwater and Fairfax. Davis Riverwalk is the undeveloped 7-acre tract between main street and the Blackwater River, expected to coincide more closely with the Corridor H Highway and a general economic recovery for the metro areas on which Davis' economy depends.

Thank you Mr Udall

Stewart L. Udall, 90, interior secretary was guardian of America's wild places
By Matt Schudel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 21, 201