I-64 East & I-77 South: West Virginia Turnpike

**SEASON FINALE** This is the final video for 2011, enjoy!

[@Aussieroadgeek]

What a great video to end the year out... You can see why it cost $683 million... so much rock to move and I would imagine that they were been careful to keep it looking natural as much as they could, very enjoyable and can't wait for 2012.... see you there!!

[@dianeadkins-diorio1783]

Awesome video! This road is familiar to me, as it is part of my route when traveling back and forth between my hometown Pittsburgh and where I live now in NC; I would then pick up I-79 at its southern terminus just outside downtown Charleston...

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you for watching!

[@socarboy]

Great job, haven't been to WV in a long time; pretty state in summer. Your vids make me feel like I'm riding shot gun in the car!

[@PolarizedMechs]

Jim, your videos have really been a lot of fun to watch since I found them earlier this year. This was one of your best: a great scenic drive and Rush to boot. Well done!

[@stevenkoenig2787]

nothing like a road trip with rush

[@chevyguy98]

Great song! Can't go wrong with Rush.. this is their best song I think

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you and I think you may be right about that.

[@BLitzedEyEz]

The USA has some of the most beautiful scenic highways systems in the world! great video! 10/10 well shot!

[@Freewayjim]

@aswchris Thanks! There used to be a tunnel at 2:20 (on the right) when it was a two lane expressway, the road was re-routed around it during the 1980's reconstruction. The tunnel is now used for Homeland Security and emergency training.

[@mgk920]

Also, that very narrow part of the valley at 2:13 or so is the deep cut where the Turnpike's old two-lane tunnel was bypassed during the highway's four-lane upgrade. The spoils from that cut were used as fill for the part right past the cut and the former tunnel is still there to the right of the modern roadway, now used for DHS and related agency training.

[@cjs121675]

Gives me something to look forward to next year!!!!!! I love your vids and I am glad I found them!!!! Awesome vid!

[@CD1xonProductions]

Awesome way to close out 2011! Can't wait until next year!

[@WIgirl26]

Im loving all the mountains. Where I live we have hills but not like this, no where near mountains. So beautiful!

[@CheeseMasterSports]

Love that Rush!!! Great song choice. Saw them in concert on May 20th, and I have moving Pictures, and 2112 on Vinyl! Great Video!!!!!!

[@Freewayjim]

Nash wayz Thank you!

[@CheeseMasterSports]

Your welcome, I've always loved WV, even though I have never been lol.

[@drtee51]

Thanks for a nice trip down an amazing stretch of highway. I love this stretch of the WV Turnpike. They could charge twice as much and it'd still be worth it!

[@Rishi_yadav.7]

The Appalachian Roads are just beautiful!!!!!

[@wert13d]

Thank you for Posting you Videos I did Enjoy Watching all of them. I can't wait for Next Years!

[@radarcub]

I have a lot of family in West Virginia. Seeing all these have been pretty sweet. :) I'm loving these road trips down memory lane.

[@Freewayjim]

Glad you are enjoying the videos. I invite you to check out the 2013 videos of my trip west, I used a much better camera for that trip and IMO the videos are of an overall higher quality.

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you. Self-Imposed restrictions: I basically take one big trip (5-6 days) a year to shoot most of my footage with the exception of where I live or a day trip here and there. That said I usually have enough footage to make 40-50 videos after the big trip which is very time consuming and takes from summer to about Thanksgiving to produce and upload them all. By that time I usually have no desire to film/produce anything until the following spring.

[@mcsslover1987]

Awesome video. I have never been on the WV TP. Looks really scenic.there. I love that Rush song!! You picked a good one to use on this video.

[@erka001]

Dramatic indeed. Thanks!

[@expresswayjess]

Thanks for the great vids, hope there is more to come for 2012!!

[@fiero2]

Amazing twisty road !!! Very nice season finale , i like it !!! Happy holydays from me and wish you even better new year and new season !!!

[@dianeadkins-diorio1783]

I live in NC now, but I still have family back in my hometown Pittsburgh and other family in northeast Ohio; this highway is my route to and from to visit both areas; the "fork" between the two is the southern terminus of I-79 just outside downtown Charleston...

[@Freewayjim]

I love this stretch, it is fun to drive and the scenery is great!

[@dave11686]

I LOVE Rush and have seen them live! Excellent track and great video! If you ever get the chance to see them live, DO IT!

[@rawmustard]

@aswchris I-77 comes into West Virginia from Virginia via the East River Mountain Tunnel. The Memorial Tunnel along the turnpike itself was bypassed as part of the expansion.

[@meteorologist4life]

Happy holidays to you and your family Jim and thanks for the great vids!

[@msabigal]

WV is beautiful, love your music too

[@Freewayjim]

@expresswayjess Thanks, yes there will be more videos next year for sure.

[@Freewayjim]

@fennisdembo1 Thanks and Merry Christmas to you. This was part of a vacation, I was only out of town for six days this year, I really don't get out as much as you might think, or as much as I'd like.

[@RicksTravelogue]

Wow. "Curvy" doesn't even begin to describe it.

[@Freewayjim]

@mcsslover1987 Thank you! the Turnpike is a fun and scenic drive if you get the chance to take it, those 88 miles fly by fast when you're having fun.

[@Freewayjim]

@QuizzicalOne Thanks! The WV Turnpike has three open toll booths roughly 25 miles apart.

[@Jackbauer1350]

Nice roads over there and wonderfull sightseeing. Thats somewhat different than the flat countryside here in The NEtherlands.

[@SoundFX09]

I consider this stretch of The Turnpike "the Lonely Stretch" Because From Exits 48-85, there are only 5 Exits (54, 60, 66, 74, 79) 2 Rest Areas, (Travel Plaza NB MM72, Rest Area SB MM 70) and 2 Services on Exits (BP, Ex. 54, Sunoco, Ex. 66.) And really, You start to feel a little lonely down this stretch, because they're not much to see but dozens of Mountains around you... But I thank you for traveling down this stretch of road, Because I travel down it a least twice a Year... -Ranger L.-

[@ScenicRoadTrip]

such a beautiful part of our country!

[@atworkstation]

Great tune.

[@riolindasucks]

That ride was a real RUSH!! Pun intended.

[@Freewayjim]

I like where I live in the Atlanta rae a lot, I also like where I'm from in new Hampshire and Pittsburgh is probably my favorite city to visit.

[@cwg47]

Great, video and very good song choice and man do i know this road like the back of my hand my wife has family in a little place called Jumping Branch WV

[@Freewayjim]

C Goodwin Thank you!

[@QuizzicalOne]

Is the West Va. Turnpike on a closed (ticketed) system like the tollways from Portage, IN on east, or is it on an open system (paying every 10 or so miles, like the Illinois Tollway system)? Judging by the video, the interchanges looked like standard diamonds. Anywho, great videos, and I'll see you in 2012!

[@Mikej1592]

Now I want to drive around here (Portland Oregon) with my camera lol. You did a really good job on this video. There are no roads here that seem all that interesting, perhaps the highway 101 that runs along the coast. It's really a neat highway, I just don't know any history about it, I wonder if anyone has already done any west coast videos?

[@FreewayBrent]

Wow, this is a GREAT 4 lane tollway! This actually reminds me a bit of Interstate 5 in southern Oregon. For some odd reason, I love freeways/tollways that have one directional set of lanes elevated higher than the other directional set of lanes (such as what you see at 1:13). One of these days, I'll have to get out there, grab some gear and get lost out in the West Virginia back country for a few days.

[@Freewayjim]

@CD1xonProductions Thank you!

[@Freewayjim]

@PolarizedMechs Thank you very much!

[@jamesthefisherman1060]

It’s interesting to see a 4 lane highway shoved into a narrow curvy valley

[@Freewayjim]

There's a lot of that out west.

[@Freewayjim]

@@jamesthefisherman1060 I've done that, it's nothing special.

[@EuropeanRoads]

Great rollercoaster ride. Amazing though that this road doesn't have tunnels, if it was in Europe you'd sure see a dozen tunnels.

[@Freewayjim]

@MrZulu2065 Thanks, this one was fun to make.

[@Freewayjim]

@ScrewdUPClickV2 Thanks, a blast to drive!

[@nikkojacinto5643]

A drive on Interstate Highway 77 southbound towards Beckley West Virginia.

[@Freewayjim]

I film what interests me the most and keep in mind I have limited time to do it when I'm away from home (Atlanta). I have a couple State Highways and US Routes in the collection.

[@Freewayjim]

Wow, that sounds awesome!

[@Freewayjim]

I filmed part of I-35 in KC back in 2007, check the catalog (pre-HD). I would love to re-shoot the area in HD if/when I get back there, I like KC in general.

[@Freewayjim]

Thank you, they are actual photos I took along the way and the others are from wikipedia.

[@Freewayjim]

@tmack4 Thank you, yes it a beautiful state if you like mountains (which I do).

[@Freewayjim]

@FreewayBrent Thanks, I think you'd like WV, very rugged and interesting but probably not as spectacular as to what you are used to in the western states.

[@EdgeXXI]

I bet it's beautiful when it snows there.

[@Freewayjim]

@fiero2 Thanks and Happy Holidays to you!

[@Freewayjim]

@socarboy Thank you!

[@megaman803]

Excellent 2011 Season Finale Freeway Video! Great song choice! A+ You picked a very great site to end your filming season Mr. FWJ! One important S/N: Under which conditions or restrictions are you required take a long break from making road videos? (1) number of videos to film per year or month; (2) transportation restrictions (3) equipment use restrictions (4) job restrictions (5) family/school restrictions, etc.?

[@Freewayjim]

Traffic was moving around the speed limit, I was 5-15 MPH over at any given point, the sped up video makes the passing more dramatic than it really was in real-time.

[@madbengalsfan85]

Reminds me of I-40 between Asheville and Knoxville...a little curvier though

[@kevinlenihan4074]

Hey Jim, these are great. Wondering if you'd mind if I used some of the footage as a backdrop for a story narration on youtube? Would credit and link of course.

[@Freewayjim]

Sure thing, have at it and thanks for asking.

[@kevinlenihan4074]

@@Freewayjim Thanks, great work. I'll share a link here when it's done.

[@Freewayjim]

@@kevinlenihan4074 Sounds good, thanks

[@Freewayjim]

@EdgarasRein Thanks, I'm driving my Acura TL in this video.

[@Freewayjim]

@colinstu Yes, to rebuild and expand 88 miles of mountainous roads and bridges in the 1980's. That would probably cost $4-5 Billion today.

[@Freewayjim]

@BLitzedEyEz Thank you!

[@VaFreeways]

Great video finale. If I were a betting man I would say you're going to head out West in 2012.

[@Freewayjim]

@madbengalsfan85 More elevation changes and curves on this road but that is a good comparison.

[@Freewayjim]

@msabigal Thank you!

[@thunderbird1963ful]

You need to do some U.S. Highways too, that would be great.

[@quickcutlawns]

Nice piece of WV, I'm curious how fast where you driving? I'm guessing traffic was moving at 73-75 mph.... 95? no particular reason just curious.

[@Freewayjim]

@FreewayTitan Thanks Max!

[@Freewayjim]

@meteorologist4life Thank you very much and the same to you and yours!

[@adogg619]

@Freewayjim Jim do you have more West Virginia videos on the way? All the ones I have seen are all spectacular with their endless green hills. I never get bored with them.

[@roadwaywiz]

@brichmer i believe that's what it says in the description?

[@Freewayjim]

@Aussieroadgeek Thank you! yeah and that's mid 1980's dollars, it would likely cost several $ Billion today.

[@Freewayjim]

@brichmer Yes, typo :P

[@TJames5142]

Suggestion for you: Interstate 35 specifically; but anypart of Kansas City has great interstates. everywhere in the river valley is amazing..and the Downtown Loop

[@Freewayjim]

@waggeo99 No, I did not film that area.

[@Freewayjim]

@wert13d Thank you!

[@Freewayjim]

@adogg619 No this is pretty much it, glad you enjoyed West Virginia.

[@Freewayjim]

@dave11686 Thanks, I like them too!

[@TheRoadgeekCA]

HELL YEAH, RUSH

[@danielklee92]

See you in 2012!

[@Freewayjim]

@VaFreeways Thanks btw

[@drtee51]

Oh, and @ gangstervural: I've seen the Dutch freeways, and yes, they're very nicely built. They all run through nice flat Dutch countryside. Now let's see the Dutch build some freeways through mountain areas like in West Virginia south of the Kanawha Valley.

[@Freewayjim]

I have not decided on anything yet.

[@Freewayjim]

@VaFreeways Some things have to happen for that to be the case, right now I'd say very unlikely.

[@anthonygonzalez4001]

wow. THAT is what you call a drive.

[@Freewayjim]

Thanks, if you think that is a drive check out my I-70 Video through the Rockies (#13-60 Featured Video on my main channel page), now THAT is a ride.

[@Freewayjim]

@roadwaywiz I had a typo earlier :(

[@Freewayjim]

@eluko79 Thanks and agreed 100% on WVDOT!

[@Freewayjim]

I'm probably not filming those roads, not going spend a lot of time in STL.

[@EdgarasRein]

You americans have one of the best roads.... In Lithuania, it's basically a waist land... And btw what car are you driving?

[@adrianroam95]

the scenery looks like it'd belong right at home in China

[@gtasupergamerdude]

@edgexxi its is scence i live here

[@AdamEdward]

cool video and editing, check out my sped up video of driving. its pretty neat!

[@Freewayjim]

@Mikej1592 Thank you! You have some great roads in the Portland area, it's someplace I'd sure like to film. Check out my good friend FreewayBrent ion YT, he has lost of west coast videos.

[@Freewayjim]

@cjs121675 Thank you!