Midland Trail Middle School students propose overpass project to ease congestion near New River Gorge National Park

According to the West Virginia Department of Transportation, the students met Thursday, April 2, 2026, with Transportation Secretary Todd Rumbaugh and other state highway officials to present their proposal.

The project would focus on U.S. Route 19 near the New River Gorge Bridge at the Lansing-Edmond Road intersection, an area that has seen increased traffic in recent years.

“I think it would be safer, and it will bring a sense of arrival to the park,” said Cora Jensen, a seventh grader at Midland Trail who helped present the idea. “I think it will bring more attractions to the north side of the (New River Gorge) bridge.”

Students said the proposal is in response to growing tourism in the region, noting that annual visitors have increased from about 500,000 in the 1990s to approximately 2 million today.

The proposed overpass would be constructed at the intersections of U.S. 19 with Lansing-Edmond Road and Ames Heights Road, areas students identified as difficult to navigate and the site of multiple crashes.

Kennedy Moore, a curriculum specialist for Fayette County Schools, said students used crash data, results from engineering studies conducted in 2024 and 2025, and input from community members to develop the proposal.

Students also met with National Park Service planners, who they said support the idea.

The overpass was selected as the preferred option during an open house meeting attended by about 300 residents and business leaders.

Officials said funding remains the primary challenge moving forward. If the proposal advances, transportation officials would need to determine how to finance the project.

Following their presentation, students met with engineers and highway officials to learn more about how the West Virginia Division of Highways plans and builds road projects.

The proposal remains under consideration.