pipelnrwife
formerly Illinois...now wherever the job goes
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Has anyone used Highway 19 in West Virginia? Trying to get from Bristol TN to Morgantown, WV. We have a 42 ft. coach and toad, the GPS is taking me through Beckley and then Charleston, but this hwy 19 looks more direct. Are there a lot of steep grades, two lane? Your thoughts please....
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rrupert
NW PA
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US Route 19 is a good road and not very old. It takes you over the New River Gorge where the bridge is that they bungee jump from every year. There is a visitor's center there, a good pit stop. There are several areas with reduced speeds and traffic signals, you just have to be careful. It is the most used route over going the I79 route. No steep hills and four lanes.
New River Gorge
* This post was
edited 02/08/12 06:51pm by rrupert *
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rr2254545
Minnesota
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A few steep grades up and down but a beautiful drive = you should have no problem with your MH - it is four lane with truck lanes and looks and feels like a interstate highway to me - do not know when it does not carry that designation.
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Robin1953
Ashton, WV
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rr2254545 wrote:A few steep grades up and down but a beautiful drive = you should have no problem with your MH - it is four lane with truck lanes and looks and feels like a interstate highway to me - do not know when it does not carry that designation.
I believe that it is an APD Highway.
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Richert
Pennsylvania
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We travel that route a lot, very scenic and of course you are in the mountains of WV. Watch the speed limit on Route 19 and obey them, they enforce the speed limit 24/7 and seem to enjoy stopping people.
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rrupert
NW PA
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It probably does not have an Interstate designation/Route number because it is a controlled access highway, which means it has intersections and traffic lights, as opposed to limited access highways that have only interchanges. However, much of it is built to interstate highway criteria. That's my 33 years of PennDOT design experience coming out.
And yes, keep an eye on the speed limits. They change frequently.
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VE3ESN
Ontario, Canada
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At one time, the CAA (Canadian AAA) recommended that you should avoid the Mountaineer Expressway (US Rt. 19) and stay on I-79 through Charleston, WV. The advice was based on their impression that US Rt. 19 was a "speed trap", especially through the built-up areas like Summersville.
We've used this road many times when heading south. When you see how far you're detoured when using I-79 through Charleston as compared to Rt. 19, and you also consider the tolls on I-79 (WV Turnpike), you'll probably conclude that I-19 is the preferred route.
There is an important caveat: When the speed limit says 65 mph, don't exceed it, and when it drops to 50 mph through Summersville, Fayetteville, etc., DON'T EXCEED THE SPEED LIMIT. The CAA was wrong in their advice, IMHO. It's not a speed trap, it's just "STRICT ENFORCEMENT". In the 50 mph zones, which are very well marked, we set the cruise to about 47 and have never had any trouble whatsoever.
Finally, the Summersville and Fayetteville Walmart SuperCenters make a convenient stop for a night's sleep.
Jerry & Susie
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pipelnrwife
formerly Illinois...now wherever the job goes
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Thank you for all your advice. We used 19 and LOVED IT! We will use this route from now on.
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wny_pat
Western NYS
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DW refuses to travel that route. She would rather go down through the middle of Pennsylvania. She says "to many high drop offs". Doesn't bother me, but if I go that way, I'd have to travel alone.
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