The Roads and Rails of Summers County, WV /

WV 122

Highway	Start	Terminus	Length (km)
WV 122	WV 12, Forest Hill	Monroe County line east of Forest Hill	3

Overview

At approximately 2.7 kilometres in length, WV 122 is the shortest highway in Summers County. It's tucked away to be almost unnoticeable on the map, leading from Forest Hill to the county line.

Its utility is questionable. The highway passes through no cities or population centres, and functions as little more than an alternate route for WV 12. Its ultimate destination is US 219 in Monroe County; however, WV 3 and WV 12 also intersect with 219. It does form part of the shortest direct route between the county seats of Hinton and Union, and this may have been the sole reason why it was commissioned.

History

Despite 122's seemingly pointless existence, the road has a long history. Major portions of its routing in Summers and Monroe Counties were visible on maps before the end of the nineteenth century.

(SRC, 1935; WVDOT, 2004)

In 1933, the West Virginia State Road Commission initiated its numbered county road system. This road became CR 31: The second-highest sequential number used in Summers County. Numbers were assigned to roads on a geographical basis from northwest to southeast, and CR 31's position in sequence reflected its location at the southeastern edge of the county.

CR 31's approach to Forest Hill was adjusted by 1958. In 1975, the state promoted the highway to primary status as WV 122. Its course has been unchanged since.

Since 1996, WV 122 has been signed as part of the Farm Heritage Road Byway. The south leg of WV 12 in Summers County is also part of this special tourist route.

Etymology

"122" was obviously chosen to emphasize that the highway ran parallel to WV 12.

Fractional spur roads

Strange but true: Not only does WV 122 in Summers County not have any fractional spur roads, but it has no side roads or intersections...period...in the 2.7 kilometres between its terminus and Monroe County.