CHARLESTON, WV -- West Virginia Governor Bob Wise announced Tuesday the Federal Highway Administration has approved the State's request to add an extension of I-68 from Morgantown to Moundsville to the National Highway System.

The approval means the project is eligible to be funded by Congress, an approval which could come as early as next Spring. It would be a 73-mile stretch of roadway. The State Division of Highways has already held public meetings in four West Virginia counties (in 2000-01) to garner public input on the proposed extension. The current I-68, known as Appalachian Corridor E, was built for $113 million from 1970-76 and is only 31.8 miles long to the Maryland border.

Stay tuned to NEWS 9 for the latest continuing coverage on this story as details become available.