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January 9, 2026 - Demolition work is underway on several structures that must be removed to make way for the next phase of the King Coal Highway project near Bluefield, WV. The project contractor, Kanawha Stone, has had their sub-contractor on site this week demolishing structures on the properties that were acquired by the Department of Highways, according to Josh Powell, a District 10 construction engineer with the West Virginia Department of Highways.
The properties were acquired by the Department of Highways to make way for the next 2.5 miles of the interstate corridor, which will take the four-lane highway from its current ending point at Airport Road towards Littlesburg Road and Route 20, near Bluewell.
Powell said construction on the King Coal Highway in Bluefield is still set to resume this spring for the major excavation efforts on the mainline portion of the project.
That means the project won’t face another prolonged delay between construction phases.
The Mercer County segment of the King Coal Highway was delayed for nearly a decade between 2008 and 2018 due to a lack of federal funds for the project. The current section of the highway now in use by motorists was completed in December 2023.
However, there is still one obstacle that must still be resolved with the current 2.5 mile contract.
“Currently AEP is holding up the construction efforts near W.Va. 20 due to inabilities to relocate energized power lines onto private easements,” Howell said.
But efforts to resolve that issue are underway, according to George Porter, director of communications for Appalachian Power.
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