FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
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Gov. Justice debuts Cranberry Corridor as newest route of West Virginia’s Mountain Rides program
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Third route to be launched in new scenic drives program
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ANSTEAD, W.Va. –– Gov. Jim Justice held a ceremony today to announce the newest scenic route of the Mountain Rides program – Cranberry Corridor – a spectacular loop that will take travelers across 211.1 miles of the central and eastern portions of the state.
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Cranberry Corridor marks the third route of the West Virginia Mountain Rides program, a collaborative partnership between the West Virginia Department of Transportation and the West Virginia Department of Tourism to designate and promote the Mountain State’s most scenic country roads.
“This route couldn’t have been launched at a better time,” said Governor Jim Justice. “With the leaves starting to change and temperatures dropping just the right amount, it’s a great time to hit the road and spend time exploring Almost Heaven.”
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Cranberry Corridor starts and ends in Summersville, taking travelers along a variety of roadways in the state including US-60, US-219, Route 150, Route 55 as well as Route 39 with plenty of beautiful scenery to take in along the way. The route leads riders on a trip through just over 200 miles of the lush Mountain State and can be completed within a little less than a five-hour round trip drive. It is accessible for both cars and motorcycles.
This route includes several scenic detours that offer beautiful scenery like Summersville Lake, the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, Beartown State Park and Hawks Nest State Park. Travelers will also witness West Virginia’s famous country roads, along with stops along the iconic West Virginia Waterfall Trail like the Falls of Hills Creek and Cathedral Falls.
"The most amazing thing of all is we're marketing our roads," Gov. Justice said. "Six years ago we were so ashamed of our roads. We couldn't get to the convenience store without destroying our cars. Now here we are marketing our roads, and it can go on now for decades to come."
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Gov. Justice was joined for today’s ceremony by Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby and West Virginia Department of Transportation Spokesperson Randy Damron.
“I’m thrilled to unveil another scenic route for travelers to explore when they’re visiting our great state,” West Virginia Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby said. “The Cranberry Corridor route has breathtaking scenery around every turn – it’s the perfect way to go leaf peeping this fall. None of this would have been possible without the support we have received from Governor Justice, not only for this initiative, but for tourism in the state as a whole. And I want to give a big shoutout to all the folks at the Division of Highways who have been working hard to ensure that our roads are in the best condition possible.”
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“I want to once again thank Governor Justice for his vision of the Roads To Prosperity program,” Damron said. “Because of this initiative, we’ve had the opportunity to upgrade our road system to the point where we can now attract motorcycle and sports car enthusiasts to drive along our incredible, winding roads. Our DOH teams have been working hard on these roads for years to ensure they’re as close to flawless as they can be so that motorcyclists and sports car enthusiasts have a safe and enjoyable ride.”
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Cranberry Corridor is the third official route of the West Virginia Mountain Rides program to be released this year.
The event concluded with a ribbon-cutting, before members of the Kanawha Valley Corvette Club and other motorcycle riders rode off as the first official riders on the new scenic route.
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