Coalfields Expressway

U.S. Route 121

Route information

Length:

108.35 mi (174.37 km)

Existed:

1998 – present

Major junctions

South end:

North end:

Location

States:

Highway system

← SR 120	VA	SR 121 →
← US 119	WV	WV 122 →

U.S. Route 121 is a proposed highway designated as the Coalfields Expressway, a four-lane highway stretching from Beckley, West Virginia to Pound, Virginia, approximately 108 miles (174 km) in length. It is designed to connect Interstate 77/Interstate 64 in West Virginia near Beckley to U.S. Route 23 in Wise County, Virginia at Pound.

While US 121 will not connect directly to U.S. Route 21, it will intersect at the latter road's original alignment, now a part of I-77.

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.