Feds To Contribute $548 Million To Rebuild State's Aging Bridges

Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston said the infusion of funds will allow the state to repair 2,700 bridges over 10 years.

The state will receive more than $548 million over the next five years from the Federal Highway Administration to invest in its bridges.

Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston said the infusion of funds will allow the state to repair 2,700 bridges over 10 years.

“So you’re going to start seeing a lot of bridge work in West Virginia,” Wriston said. “A lot of bridge work in West Virginia.”

Wriston said about 75 bridges owned by municipalities are eligible for 100 percent funding, where a 20 percent local match would otherwise be required. His department will work to find matching funds for another 39 bridges.

The funding comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of last year, which Sens. Shelley Moore Capito and Joe Manchin voted for, along with retiring Rep. David McKinley.

Author: Curtis Tate

Curtis is our Energy & Environment Reporter, based in Charleston. He has spent more than 17 years as a reporter and copy editor for Gannett, Dow Jones and McClatchy. He has written extensively about travel, transportation and Congress for USA TODAY, The Bergen Record, The Lexington Herald-Leader, The Wichita Eagle, The Belleville News-Democrat and The Sacramento Bee. You can reach him at ctate@wvpublic.org.

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