People in Western Virginia felt the state hadn't treated them fairly when it came to building roads and transportation. This added to tensions between the eastern and western parts of Virginia and became an issue during the statehood movement.

Western Virginia did lag behind the east in railroad construction, but records indicate that 94 of the 162 state-chartered road and turnpike companies existing in 1859 operated wholly or partly in present West Virginia. Although the state planned more western roads planned in 1860, the Civil War ended those projects. When West Virginia became a state in 1863, it inherited many roads and bridges damaged by the war.

Between 1863 and 1872, 38 new turnpike companies were created, but as railroads grew, road use and toll money dropped. Many roads were abandoned or became local routes. Later, in the automobile age, some old turnpike routes were turned into highways like U.S. 60, U.S. 50, U.S. 250, and parts of Interstates 64 and 79.