CHARLESTON — The West Virginia Highways Division plans to use $150 million in additional funding requested by Gov. Jim Justice to pave more than 830 miles of highway. including approximately $2 million in projects in each of the local counties in our region.
“The need for this paving right now is great,” said West Virginia Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, PE “Our basic maintenance plan exceeded our budget for paving. These roads are ready to go.
Officials said basic maintenance – filling potholes, clearing ditches and ensuring existing roads are smooth, clean and dry – has gone so well that many trunk roads are ready. to be repaved now, instead of later. If those roads aren’t paved soon, they will have to be repaired again in the spring, officials said.
In anticipation of the West Virginia Legislature’s approval of Justice’s supplementary budget request, the WVDOH began paving many roads in July.
“I didn’t want to lose a paving season” said Wrist.
The local paving projects included in the list are:
• Randolph County, 18 projects totaling $2,784,000, including:
Repaving of Coalton Road, $519,000.
Kingsville Road, $255,000.
Repaving in Helvetia by the Upshur county line, $280,000.
Rich Mountain, Phase 2, $320,000.
Old US 33, $245,000.
Sully Road, $365,000.
• County of Barbour, eight projects totaling $2 million, including:
Repaving US 250 between Belington, Philippi Road, $1,600,000.
The Denger Road, $100,000.
Stringtown Road, $160,000.
• Upshur County, two projects totaling $1.9 million, including:
Repaving Old US 33, $1,590,000.
The Phillips Dairy Road, $400,000.
• Tucker County, six projects totaling $1,460,000, including:
Repaving Limestone Road, $510,000.
Sugarlands Road, $280,000.
Location Road, $192,000.
Return Hollow Road, $190,000.
• Pocahontas County, 22 projects totaling $2,571,000, including:
Repaving at Marlinton and Edray, $315,000.
Edray-Fairview, $325,000.
Douthards Creek, $200,000.
Back Mountain Road, $200,000.
The Roads to Prosperity program and the secondary roads initiative have enabled the Ministry of Health to set up training, provide updating equipment and hire new employees.
The DOH project list includes projects in every delegated district in the state. Paving will be done not only on minor roads in each county, but also on some major state and US roads.
In June 2021, the Legislature approved a Justice request for $150 million in additional funding for the DOH. That money paid for 400 projects, including 742 miles of paving, slip repairs and bridge projects.
