Interstate 70 (I-70) in the U.S. state of West Virginia crosses the Northern Panhandle region, through Ohio County and the city of Wheeling. The shortest segment of I-70 in any state it crosses is the segment in West Virginia, spanning 14.45 miles (23.26 km) across the panhandle. The portion of the route in West Virginia begins on a bridge between the eastern border of Ohio, over the western channel of the Ohio River, crossing onto Wheeling Island. The Fort Henry Bridge carries I-70 across the main channel of the Ohio River and onto mainland West Virginia.
The city of Wheeling sits on the eastern banks of the Ohio River, and I-70 passes over the town on an elevated structure before entering the Wheeling Tunnel. On the other side of the tunnel, the highway meets the eastern terminus of I-470, a bypass of Wheeling. Before the highway crosses into Pennsylvania, I-70 passes The Highlands, a major shopping center in the panhandle. The first portions of the freeway were opened in 1963, and construction was completed in 1971. On average, between 32,000 and 60,000 vehicles use the freeway every day.
Recently selected: U.S. Route 199 • U.S. Route 40 Alternate (Keysers Ridge – Cumberland, Maryland) • State Route 74 (New York – Vermont)