Senator Says Rainy Day Fund Could Be Used to Improve Roads

At the legislature Wednesday, one Senator urged his colleagues to take action on a hotly debated topic, the condition of the state roads. He’s asking fellow lawmakers to take action this session to improve paving across West Virginia.

Senator Robert Plymale stood at the end of the upper chamber’s morning floor session to bring attention to an issue often talked about in the legislature, but one he says lawmakers have failed in recent years to take action on.

Because of a lack of funds, the state is on an average 33 year paving cycle that the Division of Highways would like to see at 12 and a half.

 “I don’t know how much it’s going to cost. I would say it’s going to be between $20 and $25 million to be able to do the right and appropriate paving cycle,” he said, “but we have got to find something even if it is in the Rainy Day Fund because this is a rainy day for our roads.”

The Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Highways, a group appointed by Tomblin to find new revenue sources for infrastructure development, has pushed off their final report until after the session meaning any recommendations from the executive on roads are still on hold.