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.