Justice debuts Seneca Skyway as first route of new West Virginia Mountain Rides program

A new scenic highway project has been unveiled just in time for summer driving and motorcycle rides.
On Tuesday, May 17, Gov. Jim Justice joined the WV Department of Tourism and the WV Department of Transportation at the division of highways county office in Lewisburg to announce the designation of a stretch of U.S. Rt. 219 and WV Rt. 92 as the Seneca Skyway.

The Seneca Skyway is the first route of the state’s new Mountain Rides program to be debuted across the state this spring, highlighting the state’s most scenic country roads to drive by car or motorcycle.

The route is just under 300 miles, circling from Lewisburg to Marlinton, through Watoga into Elkins, Davis, and Thomas, by Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob, then down to Green Bank, White Sulphur Springs, and back to Lewisburg.

WV Department of Tourism Chelsea Ruby introduced the route designation, stating, “We continue to see great interest in road trips. It continues to be one of the top trends and travel and tourism across the country. And I would tell you, there is no better place to take a road trip than right here in the great state of West Virginia.”

WV State Highways engineer Alan Reed said, “The Division of Highways is committed to making these roads as as perfect as possible and (to create) a great opportunity to ride motorcycles. So, we’re going to continue to maintain all of our roads and we’re going to make sure we don’t have any potholes and any of those kinds of things.”

Justice spoke next, noting the improvements that have been made to West Virginia roads over the past six years.

“Can you imagine in the state of West Virginia, six years ago, that we would have said, ‘we’re going to promote our highways, we’re going to market our highways, we’re going to market our roads and tourism?’ Can anybody really in your right mind believe that statement?”

“It’s unbelievable how far we’ve come,” Justice csaidd. “We needed to give our great Highways workers the equipment they needed to fix the roads. Now they’re doing it. And now we have another great tool to market the beauty of our state and bring in tourism.”

Justice pulled a paper with some talking points out of his suit jacket pocket and read to the crowd.
“They just handed me this,” he said, reading the paper. “It says this 300-mile, winding, country road trip can be completed within a little over five hours.

“Now listen to me,” Justice quipped, “I do not want to be riding with you if you can pull that off.”

Along with the delegation from Charleston, about 20 motorcycle riders were on hand to participate in the ribbon cutting event and take the inaugural ride north on Rt. 219. Additionally, Justice’s celebrity English bulldog, Babydog, was present at the event.

The Seneca Skyway will be promoted to tourists who come to visit the Greenbrier Valley and to visitors all over the state. Ruby said she hopes locals get to enjoy the route as well.

“This year, we have been ranked the top destination in the world by five or six different publications and more and more coming in every month,” she said. “Thanks to you all for opening your towns, your communities up to tourists every day. And I hope that all of you here go enjoy this beautiful route.”

“To everyone involved in making today’s announcement a reality, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you’ve done,” Justice said. “All we’ve ever had to do in West Virginia was just let the world see how great we really are. We’re doing just that. And now, we get to enjoy the ride.”

Gov. Jim Justice and his English bulldog, Babydog, introduce the Seneca Skyway route designation in Lewisburg on May 17.

Valerie Pritt of the Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors Bureau (l to r); WV Department of Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby, and Beth Gill of the Greenbrier County Convention and Visitors Bureau with a map of the Seneca Skyway route that travels along U.S. Rt. 219 and WV Rt. 92.