The route begins at the West Virginia state line at the highway's summit of Great North Mountain, signed as US 48 and WV 55 from Wardensville.

Entering Virginia, US 48 heads northeast as two-lane Wardensville Pike through George Washington National Forest and descends the mountain to the settlement of Star Tannery, where the highway leaves Frederick County by crossing Cedar Creek.

[3][4] The road's name changes to John Marshall Highway, and it passes around the northern end of Little North Mountain near the community of Wheatfield, turning south.

Corridor H has had a particularly controversial history as conservationists and environmentalists vied with federal agents, developers and the business community over the issue of what constituted the most environmentally sensitive route among several alternatives.

The lawsuit further states that the FHWA "violated laws by issuing a Record of Decision prior to completing the evaluation of Corridor H's impacts" on historic structures and lands.

In November of that year, the Court system ordered the Department of Transportation to halt construction of Corridor H except for a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) section near Elkins.

In May, a court order was produced that prohibited the FHWA from proceeding further with Corridor H until they have completed the Section 106 process and issued an amended Record of Decision.

As stated in the agreement, impacts were to be avoided near Corricks Ford/Shavers Fork Valley and Blackwater Canyon; the completion of ongoing studies; and the deferment of the Wardensville, West Virginia, to Virginia state line segment with final design and right-of-way acquisition restricted until specific conditions are met not to exceed 20 years.

Fish and Wildlife Service to prepare a biological assessment for the Indiana bat, which resulted in a finding that Corridor H will not adversely affect the habitat.

Another 7-mile (11 km) segment was completed from Canfield to Bowden just east of Elkins and was dubbed the "racetrack" for its vast improvement over the old alignment and its isolation from other four-lane highways.

They cited the damage to two national forests, 41 streams, historical sites, Civil War battlefields, farms and Main Street businesses.

The then-Governor Bob Wise celebrated the historic opening with Senator Robert C. Byrd and Transportation Secretary Fred VanKirk.

The alignment then turns more northeastward, entering the Monongahela National Forest, crossing the South Branch of Haddix Run Road and U.S. Highway 219.

As of 2015, final design had not yet been completed, with construction of the segment from Kerens to a point north of the Randolph County/Tucker County border (but not all the way to Parsons) scheduled to begin in mid-2016.

The additional analysis was a result of the West Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel, a federally endangered species that was discovered in the vicinity.

The Federal Highway Administration issued a record of decision on March 23, 2001, that cleared the way for design, right-of-way purchases, and construction for this segment.

[27] The sixth phase in Corridor H's completion from Elkins to the state line, it travels through Grant and Hardy counties for a total length of 16 miles (26 km).

[28] In August 2005, two grade and drain contracts were awarded on both sides of the South Branch Potomac River, with construction beginning that September.

[30] The $30,884,656 contract, located just north of Moorefield, will contain a single eight-span 2,135 ft (651 m) steel girder bridge over the South Branch of the Potomac and a seven-span crossing over the adjacent floodplain.

1.62 miles (2.61 km) of partial controlled-access highway in the first segment, totaling $20,746,510 included 2,810,416 cubic yards (2,148,717 m³) of excavation, three access roads to farms, two structural plate drainage pipes and a six-span prestressed concrete beam bridge over Lick Run and CR 6.

[32] This included 1,963,415 cubic yards (1,501,138 m³) of excavation, one farm access road, two structural plate drainage pipes and two out of the four ramps for the Baker interchange.

A second project would connect the Clifford Hollow Bridge to county route 1 and involve 1.96 miles (3.15 km) of construction at a cost of $15.2 million.

With the completion of the Clifford Hollow Bridge in October 2003, the 14-mile (23 km) segment of Corridor H through Hardy county between Moorefield and Baker was opened to traffic.

Another contract was awarded on December 5, 2001, at a total of $18,549,091 to construct 2.68 miles (4.31 km) of Corridor H from County Route 23/8 to the west approach of the Lost River bridge.

A three-span fabricated steel girder bridge was constructed to carry the four-lane divided highway over Sauerkraut Run.

On March 4, 2002, the Department of Highways awarded a contract to construct a 1.08-mile (1.74 km) segment of Corridor H at a cost of $15,858,045 that extended from Lost River Sinks to County Route 23/12.

The former Western Maryland Railroad that stretched through eastern West Virginia was opened in 2003, only instead of carrying train cars, it will serve hikers and bikers.

The Reed Farmstead was an amazing discovery and we decided that a video and web sites would be the best way to share this extensive archaeological dig with area residents.

The video was shown for 60 days on the Corridor H web site and a videocassette was mailed to every school teaching grades eighth through twelfth in the state.

The award was presented to the WVDOH and to the two consultants, Michael Baker Jr., Inc. and Charles Ryan Associates, working on this project at a ceremony in Washington, D. C. on April 20.