The current status of the Coalfields Expressway (CFX) project in Virginia as well as planning for its future were among the topics of discussion Thursday during a meeting of the Virginia CFX Authority Board in Wise, VA.
“The successful completion of the Coalfields Expressway project in Virginia requires a strong collaborative approach involving the CFX Authority, the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA), the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), state and federal legislators, the Governor’s office, planning district commissions, localities and key contractors,” Virginia CFX Executive Director Jonathan Belcher told members of the board.
Belcher noted two US Department of Transportation BUILD grant applications totaling some $30 million advancing priority safety and connectivity improvements for Rt. 23 and Rt. 83 sections related to the project in Wise and Dickenson counties were filed in February 2026.
The award notification for approved BUILD projects is expected in June 2026.
“US 23 Business and VA Route 83 are important feeders for the future Coalfields Expressway in that area and with improvements are one possible alternate route for that section of the CFX which would not bypass Pound or Clintwood,” Belcher noted.
Letters of support for those projects were provided by local officials and a variety of other organizations. An overview of both proposed projects was presented to the board by WPS Consultant Wendy Thomas.
Thomas noted the CFX Authority has requested VDOT prepare conceptual options to support an appropriation to deliver roadway improvements on or near currently unfunded sections of the Coalfields Expressway, designated as US Route 121.
Among the conceptual options identified were the Route 83 Safety and Capacity Project in Wise County and Dickenson County between the Town of Pound and the Town of Clintwood, and the Route 23 Business Safety and Capacity Project in Wise County between US Route 23 and the intersection with Route 83 in the Town of Pound. Funding was sought for both of these options in this round of BUILD grant applications.
The Route 83 Safety and Operational Improvements (planning and design) - $5.5 million would involve the 7.4‑mile corridor between the Town of Pound and the Town of Clintwood.
The Route 23 Business Safety and Operational Improvements (Capital construction) - $24.5 million would address critical mobility, safety and truck‑routing needs along 1.2 miles of Route 23 Business in the Town of Pound.
Among the expected benefits would be a strengthened role as a feeder to future CFX segments and other industrial sites, Thomas noted.
Also speaking at Thursday’s meeting was Mark Hill, of VDOT, who gave an update on the Poplar Creek Phase B portion of the project, noting work is ongoing and that the estimated timeframe should see that project completed in late 2027. Once phase B is finished, it will mark the completion of the new road from the Town of Grundy to Pikeville, KY.
Hill noted the Phase A portion of the project has received two awards, one from the American Concrete Institute for the half mile box culvert in that portion of the project. The culvert is buried under 310 feet of fill, which Hill pointed out is a depth taller than the Statue of Liberty.
The project also received the Commonwealth Environmental Protection Award.
Belcher noted several CFX Authority projects have been completed, including a pre-engineering study for CFX (US 121) Grundy to the West Virginia State Line; a CFX Economic Impact Study Project; the US 121/460 Intersection & Hawk’s Nest Paving Project; the US 121/460 Poplar Creek Phase A Paving Project; a CFX Authority Operational Funds Project; CFX Corridor Q Signage Project; and a CFX Preliminary Engineering Study Project.
Belcher added a congressionally directed spending (CDS) request was submitted by the CFX Authority in 2024 and resubmitted in 2025 for $7 million in federal funds for the US 460 Connector Phase IIA Paving Project which would four-lane approximately four miles of US 460 Connector from the intersection with VA Route 80 near the Breaks Interstate Park to the intersection of VA Route 609 where it connects and joins the CFX (US 121).
“This is needed to complete the four-laning from Grundy, VA to Pikeville, KY,” Belcher said. “Buchanan County agreed to provide the required $1.75 million match and has also applied for VDOT revenue sharing funds for the project.”
He noted $3 million in CDS funding was approved for the project as part of the FY26 federal budget. An additional application for up to $7 million in CDS funding was submitted for FY27.
“Additionally, Virginia state budget amendment funds were requested in the 2025 and 2026 General Assembly sessions, however we won’t know the status of any state appropriation until the Virginia General Assembly acts to approve the state budget,” Belcher said.
Belcher also provided an update on efforts to add the CFX to the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) which would make remaining sections of the CFX in Virginia eligible to apply for Appalachian Regional Commission funding. He noted that work is continuing and that the designation could be critical to the completion of the road. Currently, Belcher noted only the sections overlaying US 460 within Corridor Q (around seven miles) are within the ADHS. The CFX Authority has been working with the region’s federal legislators on a draft bill to Congress that would add miles to the ADHS which would allow the CFX to be included.
“The CFX Authority with the assistance of our legislators in the past has met with the state of West Virginia and its transportation officials on the need to collaborate on the development of the Coalfields Expressway, since both states have mileage,” Belcher said. “We feel it is now time to increase those discussions, as the need to collaborate has only gotten greater.”
To that end, Belcher said a follow-up meeting will be requested with West Virginia.
