WASHINGTON (WFXR) – On Tuesday, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced just shy of $20 million in funding for the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) to help further connect Virginia’s Appalachian region to national interstates.

The funding, which totals $19,962,161, was awarded through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in coordination with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), was made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure law.

“We are pleased to see these infrastructure dollars headed to Virginia, where they’ll help further connect Appalachian communities and maximize economic opportunity in the region. We’re proud that the bipartisan infrastructure law is dedicating the resources needed to advance this crucial development project.”

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine

The ADHS is a 3,090-mile network of highways linking the Appalachian region to national interstates, which provide access to regional and national markets, contributing to growth opportunities and improved access in Appalachia.

The bipartisan infrastructure law represents the first sustained, robust, and dedicated support for the system in a decade, since funding for ADHS was not provided by Congress from 2012-2020.

As of Sept. 30, 2021, Virginia’s ADHS corridors consist of 204.6 miles, with 192.2 miles currently eligible for funding.

The estimated cost to complete Virginia’s ADHS corridors is $440.5 million — $172.9 for Corridor H, which runs from the West Virginia State line to I-81 at Strasburg, and $267.6 million for Corridor Q, which runs from Breaks Interstate Park at the Kentucky State line to I-81 at Christiansburg.

Corridor B, which runs from Weber City at the Tennessee state line to the state line near Jenkins, Kentucky, is currently complete.

ARC is an economic development partnership agency of the federal government and 13 state governments, focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian region.

ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.

Since 1965, ARC has invested $4.5 billion in approximately 28,000 economic development projects across Appalachia that has attracted over $10 billion in matching project funding.