U.S. Route 48 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corridor H | ||||||||||
 US 48 (as of February 2017) highlighted in red | ||||||||||
| Route information | ||||||||||
| Length | 157 mi[1] (253 km) | |||||||||
| Existed | 2002[2]–present | |||||||||
| Tourist routes |  Virginia Byway | |||||||||
| Major junctions | ||||||||||
| West end |    I-79 / US 33 / US 119 at Weston, WV | |||||||||
   US 220 / WV 28 / WV 55 at Moorefield, WV | ||||||||||
| East end |   I-81 / SR 55 at Strasburg, VA | |||||||||
| Location | ||||||||||
| Country | United States | |||||||||
| States | West Virginia, Virginia | |||||||||
| Highway system | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
U.S. Route 48 (US 48), also known as the incomplete Corridor H of the Appalachian Development Highway System, extends from Interstate 79 (I-79) in Weston, West Virginia, eastward across the crest of the Allegheny Mountains to I-81 in Strasburg, Virginia. It is planned to extend 157 miles (253 km) from northwestern Virginia to central West Virginia.
The route is planned as a four-lane divided highway and has been constructed in segments, most of which are open. The westernmost portion from Weston to Lorentz was constructed in the 1970s; the extension east to Elkins was constructed in the early 1990s, and the segment between Davis and Wardensville was constructed in segments which opened during 2002–2016. As of 2020, two segments are not yet upgraded and remain having the U.S. 48 designation: Kerens–Davis and Wardensville–Strasburg.
West Virginia's segment of Corridor H crosses very mountainous terrain, some of the most rugged in the eastern United States, and crosses two major rivers. There are more than 1000 historic structures, five historic districts, two Civil War battlefields, and other archaeological sites within five miles (8.0 km) of Corridor H, and the highway crosses through two national forests. There are over 50 species of plants and animals that are protected under the Endangered Species Act and more than 150 native trout streams, thousands of acres of wetlands and high mountain bogs, areas of karst terrain, and abandoned coal mines within the Corridor H study area.
Two previous highways were designated as US 48. The first, in California, was incorporated into the route of US 50; the second, in western Maryland and West Virginia, was redesignated Interstate 68.
- ^ "Google Maps: US 48". Google Maps. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (November 5, 2002). "Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering to the Standing Committee on Highways" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2021.