I am trying to find the widths for State Roads in WV. I was told all turnpikes have a min. width of 60' I am having trouble finding this in the state code. Can someone please point me in the azimuth...
Open a can of worms.... The Highway Dept. may sometimes claim a 60' wide right of way; but I understand the enabling legislation, when we were Virginia, (documentation in Richmond) gave the various turnpike companies the ability to buy or take UP TO 60' wide, or as needed for cuts, fills, etc. A local attorney, (now deceased) had a long battle with the WVDOH on this issue. There are some towns like Darksville, which straddle an old turnpike, and there is much less than 60' between houses, buildings and porches on opposite sides of the road. There were 2 pieces of legislation in 1933 and again in 1937, when the road system went from county roads to state roads. A State road map was made, showing primary 40' r/w roads and secondary 30' r/w roads. Some argue that this legislation defines the r/w regardless of the past. More fun: some turnpikes became "national highways" (Rte 11) but then the interstates became the "national highways" begging the question is there some sort of residual Federal r/w? More fun, I have not seen any recoded conveyances from the various ancient land owners to a turnpike company. More fun; no definitive maps, and many of the old turnpikes have been moved and rerouted as new bridges built, curves removed, and other construction has taken place. Where was that 60' turnpike right of way if it ever existed?? Welcome to Wild, Wonderful West Virginia.
> Open a can of worms.... The Highway Dept. may sometimes claim a 60' wide right of way; but I understand the enabling legislation, when we were Virginia, (documentation in Richmond) gave the various turnpike companies the ability to buy or take UP TO 60' wide, or as needed for cuts, fills, etc. A local attorney, (now deceased) had a long battle with the WVDOH on this issue. There are some towns like Darksville, which straddle an old turnpike, and there is much less than 60' between houses, buildings and porches on opposite sides of the road. There were 2 pieces of legislation in 1933 and again in 1937, when the road system went from county roads to state roads. A State road map was made, showing primary 40' r/w roads and secondary 30' r/w roads. Some argue that this legislation defines the r/w regardless of the past. More fun: some turnpikes became "national highways" (Rte 11) but then the interstates became the "national highways" begging the question is there some sort of residual Federal r/w? More fun, I have not seen any recoded conveyances from the various ancient land owners to a turnpike company. More fun; no definitive maps, and many of the old turnpikes have been moved and rerouted as new bridges built, curves removed, and other construction has taken place. Where was that 60' turnpike right of way if it ever existed?? Welcome to Wild, Wonderful West Virginia.
Haven't been worked actively in WV since 1996. Set through a seminar a few years ago where turnpike location and width was one of the topics. What BSA states is only the beginning. Plenty of discussion created a long list of sources to be checked. Wonder if I can find the notes, maybe handouts, from that seminar.
if you could find anything it would be greatly appreciated.......if you find something please email it to me thanks
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Weird, odd and other strange thoughts
Your name here, assuming a ph equaling an f, sounded like fife, to me. Which made me think of Barney Fife. Who was played by Don Knotts. Who grew up in West Virginia. Which fell in line with the title of your thread.
Yeah, I know, I was born weird and have only grown more so over the past six decades.
By the way, a tiny bit of trivia most people would not know is that Don Knotts (Barney) and Ron Howard (Opie) are sixth cousins. In real life, not on the show.
phife23@aol.com is the email address Don Knotts was from morgantown.....the phife nickname came from then hip hop group tribe called quest in the early 90's and it is pronounced fife and can be construed as Barney also.....one bullet one love....
You could edit your profile, enter your e-mail, make sure you check the 'E-mail address contactable" box.
I have those notes, and have sent a PDF to phife23. I can email to others if interested. The seminar was a bit self-serving; the WVDOH wants to have clear title to many 60' wide rights of way all over the state so they don't have to mess with current land owners. My concern is that I don't see an unbroken chain of title from land owners circa 1838 to 1855, to various chartered turnpike co.s, then to counties, then to WVDOH. I wonder how many of the "chartered" turnpikes obtained rights of way, and were actually built and operated? And if not brought to fruition, were the charter and possible rights of way extinguished? And when a viable turnpike co. gave up, was title conveyed to counties or the state or did the roads revert to prescriptive rights of way? ,
May have been a different seminar. Found my handouts from 2008 Minimum Standards and section addressing WV Code that triggered the verbal exchange. Can not find my notes, just remember reference sources in WV and VA with conflict in the records being more common than continuity. Sent an email as you did with apologies. Know I took notes, for some reason just didn't file them with handouts.
You might try these for a start:
Com[pass Land Surveying by F. Henry Sipe
Exploring the Old Turnpikes of West Virginia by WVSPS
Boundaries in West Virginia Roads and Streams by Knud Hermansen
All can be obtained from the WV Society of Professional Surveyors.
