page_title: U.S. Route 121
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: U.S. Route 121 / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The Coalfields Expressway interchange with WV 54 under construction in 2004 near en:Sophia, West Virginia.
context_page_description: U.S. Route 121 is a proposed U.S. highway designated as the Coalfields Expressway, a four-lane highway stretching from Beckley, West Virginia, to Pound, Virginia, approximately 108 miles in length. It is designed to connect Interstate 64 and I-77 in West Virginia near Beckley to US 23 in Wise County, Virginia, at Pound.
  While US 121 will not connect directly to US 21, it will intersect at the latter road's original alignment, now a part of I-77.
context_section_description: The Coalfields Expressway will depart from U.S. 23 in Pound, Virginia, in Wise County, and roughly follow Virginia State Route 83 in Buchanan County to West Virginia Route 83 in McDowell County, West Virginia. Then it will travel northeast through depressed areas of West Virginia, paralleling West Virginia Route 16 through Wyoming and Raleigh counties. It will then run toward an expanded Interstate 64/Interstate 77 interchange near Beckley. The roadways US 121 will replace are deficient in the fact that the existing roadways have limited passing opportunities, steep grades, and low design speeds. 
  As of June 2013, 6.9 miles (11.1 km) of US 121 is open to traffic in West Virginia, currently signed as West Virginia Route 121 (WV 121).
caption: The Coalfields Expressway interchange with WV 54 under construction in 2004 near Sophia, West Virginia.
exif: {}