GRUNDY, Va. (AP) - The Virginia Department of Transportation has signed an agreement with a coal company allowing design and construction of a segment of the Coalfields Expressway.
VDOT spokesman Michelle Earl said Alpha Natural Resources will construct the rough grade roadbed for the Hawk's Nest segment in Buchanan County as part of a surface mining operation.
VDOT Commissioner David Ekern says the agreement announced Monday marks the first construction project for the four-lane highway in Southwest Virginia.
The Hawk's Nest segment will overlap with a portion of the Route 460 Connector that's under design.
When completed, the 65-mile Coalfields Expressway will run from Buchanan County to Raleigh County, W.Va.