Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (front right), Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper (front left) and other officials ride across the newly dedicated Coonskin Bridge on Wednesday afternoon. The bridge, which connects the county-owned park with U.S. 119 near the Mink Shoals exit of Interstate 79, replaces the previous entrance, which was on the other side of the park.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — At a ceremony in Coonskin Park on Wednesday, a new bridge was opened, an old road got a new name and the West Virginia National Guard complex along Coonskin Drive got a security issue addressed that officials hope will keep the 130th Airlift Wing operational.
The new $6.2 million Coonskin bridge, connecting Coonskin Park with U.S. 119 about one mile south of Interstate 79’s Mink Shoals exit, began carrying traffic over the Elk River shortly after 4 p.m.
The former entrance to the park, off W.Va. 114, was scheduled to close to traffic a few hours later, allowing National Guard personnel to place temporary concrete barriers across the roadway, ending unrestricted access to the National Guard headquarters complex and the adjacent McLaughlin Air National Guard Base.
Coonskin Drive, the road leading into the county-owned park from the new bridge, was renamed Henry C. “Hoppy” Shores Drive, in honor of the 36-year Kanawha County commissioner and longtime champion of the park…