Associated Press Published

Gov. Justice Orders Crews to Prioritize Secondary Road Projects

Gov. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., delivers his annual State of the State speech, Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019, in Charleston, W.Va.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has ordered highway crews to compile a list of secondary road projects in their counties.

Speaking to Division of Highways district engineers and county supervisors Tuesday in Charleston, the Republican governor gave them a three-day deadline to come up with a list of problem roads, then another day to prioritize them.

Justice also asked them to suggest projects that need continuous “aggressive” maintenance.

Justice says “I’ve got to know what’s wrong, and I’ve got to know what’s the most important. There’s no way to do it all, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do a lot.”

The meeting came a week after Justice pledged to fix neglected secondary roads, hire workers and buy equipment. Unspecified funding will be pooled from revenue surpluses and bond money.