In southern West Virginia, contractors for the West Virginia Division of Highways have already paved more than three dozen roads using funds provided by a supplemental budget appropriation requested by Gov. Jim Justice and approved by the West Virginia Legislature in May.
On Thursday, May 30, 2024, Gov. Justice signed Senate Bill 1002, giving the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) $150 million in supplemental highway funding for paving projects throughout the Mountain State. The money is in addition to $190 received by the WVDOH in federal highway funds.
“The General Fund Surplus paving program approved by the Legislature is a big boost to our highway system,” said Jim Moore, P.E., district engineer for WVDOH District 9 that includes Fayette, Greenbrier, Monroe, Nicholas, and Summers counties. “For the first time in my 30-year career we are seeing improvements in our overall highway system due to commitment to safe and efficient highways by our West Virginia Legislature and the federal infrastructure bill.”
Statewide, the $150 million budget supplement is paying for 406 different paving projects on roads that might otherwise not be paved for years. Of those projects, 176 are already complete.
In District 9, six of 17 scheduled paving projects are complete, for a total of $5.1 million. “The current Fiscal Year 2025 General Fund Surplus paving program is allowing District 9 to pave an additional 50 miles of two-lane roadways that would have only been patched if not for this program,” Moore said.
Paving projects already complete include paving sections of US 60 from Hico to Spy Rock and from Boomer to Alloy in Fayette County, and WV 39 from Enon to Summersville Road in Nicholas County. Moore said the rest should be finished by the end of October.
In District 10, which includes McDowell, Mercer, Raleigh, and Wyoming counties, money from the supplemental budget appropriation is paying for 68 total projects that are paving 148 different roads. Of those, paving is complete on 82 roads, for a total of almost 90 miles of new asphalt.
“This program has really touched District 10 in a special way, said WVDOH District 10 Engineer Ryland Musick, P.E. “It has enabled us to reach roads and needs in our district that were simply not possible any other way.”
Completed paving projects under the program include sections of WV 123 (Airport Road) in Mercer County, paving WV 54 from Hotchkiss to Slab Fork in Raleigh County, paving WV 971 from Clear Fork to Lillydale in Wyoming County, and paving part of Gardner Road in Mercer County. Paving WV 16 from Welch to Pineville in McDowell County is currently underway and should be finished soon.
For a statewide list of every project funded by the supplemental budget appropriation, CLICK HERE.
