Future Outlook for the 

Appalachian Development 

Highway System

April 30, 2020, Mid-Year Update

As a way to provide the most current information regarding state DOTs’ plans and priorities for 

completing the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS), the Appalachian Regional Commission 

(ARC) has initiated a yearly reporting of each state’s future outlook for their corridors. This information 

was included for the first time in the FY 2019 Status of the Appalachian Development Highway System, 

published in January 2020, and reflected the future outlook as of September 30, 2019. Because of the 

availability of additional resources for the ADHS in FY2020, ARC allowed all states to update their future 

outlook submissions midway through FY 2020. The ADHS Future Outlook map shown on the next page 

(updated as of April 30, 2020) provides a visual depiction of the schedules and priorities of the state DOTs 

regarding their respective corridors. A more extensive assessment of state completion plans and costs is 

projected for later this year. 

The future outlook for the entire ADHS, shown in mileage and percentages, is summarized below:

• Complete: 2,650.3 miles (85.8%)

• Partially Complete – Meeting Traffic Needs: 78.5 miles (2.5%)

• Incomplete – Significant Progress (likely Complete within 10 years): 142.5 miles (4.6%)

• Incomplete – Some Progress (likely Complete in more than 10 years): 80.0 miles (2.6%)

• Incomplete – Completion Date Undetermined: 138.8 miles (4.5%)

As background, in July 2012, Congress changed the way the ADHS is funded. The transportation law 

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) included the ADHS in the Surface Transportation 

Program (STP) grants to the states, along with other highway funding. The STP funds are apportioned to 

the Appalachian states annually, with each state using the funding at its own discretion. With this 

different approach to funding, states were no longer required to provide detailed information regarding 

their remaining work on the ADHS.

However, a “Sense of the Senate” provision in MAP-21 states that “the timely completion of the 

Appalachian Development Highway System is a transportation priority in the national interest.” 

Underscoring Congress’s interest in prioritizing the completion of the ADHS is another provision in the law 

requiring each of the 13 Appalachian states to establish a plan to finish the construction of its designated 

corridors, accessible at this link 2013 ADHS Completion Plan Report .

Now, with a renewed interest by Congress in providing additional dedicated resources for completing the 

ADHS, this Future Outlook report can serve as an interim measure for demonstrating the plans and 

priorities of state DOT’s for work on specific corridors. The ARC plans to work with each DOT to establish 

updated cost estimates for the remaining work planned on each corridor later in 2020.
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Incomplete - Significant Progress (likely complete within 10 years)

Incomplete - Some Progress (likely complete in more than 10 years)

Incomplete - Completion Date Undetermined

Future Outlook of the Appalachian

Development Highway System

As of April 30, 2020

Non-Participating

Complete

Partially Complete - Meeting Traffic Needs