Construction Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

More Than 1,300 Roads To Prosperity Projects Underway Or Done

To celebrate the 1,320 Roads to Prosperity projects completed, or at least begun, Gov. Jim Justice posed on the state Capitol steps with 1,320 state highway workers.

In 2017, Justice pushed for a statewide bond issue that would raise $2.8 billion. The measure passed with 73 percent support.

At the ceremony, each highway worker held up a card identifying one of the projects funded by the bond package.

“This is absolutely one of the most important days in West Virginia history. We have accomplished things that nobody believed could have ever been possible,” Justice said. “In fact, there were a lot of people that doubted this program. Despite the doubts, Toby and Edith made it known they were done being last, and they put their faith in the Roads to Prosperity program. We all believe in that vision now.”

The program included major projects like the $224 million effort to replace or upgrade 26 bridges along Interstate 70 in Wheeling and the $254 million project to expand Interstate 64 to six lanes between Nitro and the U.S. 35 exit, which also replaced the Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge.

As part of the project to expand Interstate 64, the twin spans were built to eliminate the constriction of traffic flow and to improve driver safety. The project also called for the construction of five other new bridges.

According to a press release from the governor’s office, that project is expected to be finished by the end of October.

Two years into the Roads to Prosperity program, work began on a project to replace or rehabilitate 26 bridges in and around Interstate 70 in the Wheeling area.

This $224 million project replaces or rehabilitates infrastructure dating back more than a half-century.

Corridor H was another project funded under the Roads to Prosperity program. Located in Grant, Tucker and Hardy counties, the four-lane highway has been in progress for decades but construction stalled until additional funding was secured through the Roads to Prosperity program.

By stretching from Weston across central West Virginia to eventually connect with Interstate 81 in Strasburg, Virginia, Corridor H will connect the state’s highlands to eastern ports and reduce travel times through the mountains.

Today, more than 100 miles of Corridor H are open to traffic with approximately 30 miles of construction remaining.

The West Virginia Turnpike is a classic staple to most West Virginian’s childhood beach trips, but the section around Beckley has historically been one of the most congested portions of the entire Turnpike.

In 2021, a $140 million widening project between mile marker 40 and mile marker 48 was completed, opening six lanes for the eight-mile stretch of highway.

Another road construction project that lost funding and stalled before Roads to Prosperity revived it is the Coalfields Expressway.

Construction began in 1999 on the four-lane limited access highway designed to connect the West Virginia Turnpike at Beckley with U.S. 23 in Slate, Virginia.

Justice committed to extending the Coalfields Expressway in 2017 as part of the Roads to Prosperity program, aiming to open the southern coalfields to economic development opportunities.

In 2020, about nine miles of the expressway opened to traffic.

In May 2022, a $147.6 million project was awarded to Bizzack Construction to build a five-mile section of highway from Welch to WV Route 16 to connect the town with the Coalfields Expressway.

About 18 miles of the Coalfields Expressway are currently open to traffic.

Near Bluefield, in the southern coalfields, the development of the King Coal Highway began in the 1990s and stalled due to a lack of funding.

The first section of the King Coal Highway connects Airport Road to the previously constructed Christine Elmore West Bridge and the bridge to the intersection of John Nash Boulevard and U.S. 460. The approximately $68 million project restarted construction in 2018.

A two-mile section of the King Coal Highway connecting Airport Road to Interstate 77 and a four-mile section connecting U.S. 119 to Belo north of Williamson is currently open to traffic. About 10 miles between Red Jacket and Mountain View is also open.

Upon completion, the King Coal Highway will be a four-lane highway approximately 95 miles long, running through McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Wyoming and Wayne counties.

Roads to Prosperity also funded smaller bridge, paving and slide repair projects in every county — many of which might have remained untouched for years without this initiative.

Does A Change In Status To Corridor H Mean Another Delay?

The threshold for a major project is $500 million, and the segment in question is budgeted at $475 million.

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, the senior Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, asked Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt why his agency reclassified Corridor H from Wardensville to the Virginia state line as a major project.

Capito said the change may have delayed the project a year.

The threshold for a major project is $500 million, and the segment in question is budgeted at $475 million. Bhatt explained that other costs, including utility relocation and property acquisition, pushed the project over the threshold.

He also told Capito in a hearing Wednesday that the updated status meant the agency could provide additional assistance to the state to complete it.

“So I have directed our division staff to make sure they are providing every possible piece of assistance to West Virginia on this project,” Bhatt said.

Corridor H is a top priority for state officials. It’s been under construction for decades, and while it’s nearly complete in West Virginia, Virginia still has not committed to build its share of the road.

Capito said she hoped building to the state line would push Virginia officials to get started.

“If we get to the Virginia line, we’re hoping that the Virginians then will take it over to (Interstate) 81 so we can have a full shot into the center of the state,” she said.

Senate Bill Aims To Standardize State Building Codes

The West Virginia Senate Government Organization Committee voted in favor of a bill that would standardize state building codes. Proponents of the bill said it would remove a liability for building owners.

Lawmakers took a step toward standardizing state building codes Thursday during a Senate Government Organization Committee meeting.

Building codes are currently created by the West Virginia Fire Commission, then adopted on the county and municipal level.

But Senate Bill 629 would cut out the middleman, clarifying that building codes adopted on the state level necessarily apply to all counties and municipalities within the state.

Under the bill, county and municipal governments would still be responsible for providing building code enforcement services.

While the bill would not address building code enforcement, it clarifies that, unless exempt, all buildings in West Virginia must adhere to state codes, regardless of whether code violations are addressed on the local level.

Sen. Chandler Swope, R-Mercer, voiced his support for the bill, which he said would reaffirm the importance of adhering to state codes.

“Having been in the construction business, I have experience in this area,” Swope said. “I really believe you’re doing property owners a favor by encouraging them to follow building codes, because … not following proper codes leaves the property owner at a very high risk.”

Members of the committee voted unanimously in favor of the bill, sending it to the Senate floor with the recommendation that it pass.

Streetscape Construction Continues In Downtown Wheeling

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured the Wheeling Streetscape project in July.

Construction on a project to renew downtown Wheeling’s streets and sidewalks continues.

The West Virginia Department of Transportation is installing drainage structures along Main and Market streets in Wheeling.

The construction requires pedestrian and traffic detours but with access to all businesses.

Crews still need to install sidewalks and trees and shrubs. They will replace traffic lights and eventually mill and pave the affected streets.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured the Wheeling Streetscape project in July. It received a $16 million grant from a federal discretionary infrastructure spending program called RAISE, or Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure With Sustainability and Equity.

The $32 million project broke ground last year and is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2025.

State School Construction Funding Increased To Compensate For Inflation

At its Monday meeting, the School Building Authority increased the square footage cost allowance by 46 percent to more than $430 per square foot.

West Virginia’s School Building Authority (SBA) allocates school building projects by the square foot. SBA Executive Director Andy Neptune said they found the average of $307 per square foot cost allowance, operative since 2019, did not cover the post-pandemic inflation cost increases.

“Counties were wanting to come back to us for supplemental funding to get their projects completed,” Neptune said. “Something had to be done.”

At its Monday meeting, the SBA increased the square footage cost allowance by 46 percent to more than $430 per square foot. Neptune said school districts need to plan construction budgets with the increase – and districts that have already passed bonds need to resubmit.

“Let’s look at that number to see how we need to be working with this,” he said. “Because ultimately we want to get this balance down and not deal with any more deficit numbers.”

Neptune said the SBA has removed its supplemental funding policy and county school systems will be responsible for cost overruns. He said 28 counties will present construction plans on Nov. 13 and 14.

The SBA will vote on those plans on Dec. 11.

Severe Shortage Of Skilled Trades Has Ripple Effect Across Housing Industry

A lack of available housing inventory, and land on which to build, is exacerbated by a massive shortage of laborers and skilled tradesmen to build the houses.

West Virginians have struggled to find affordable housing for years. The pandemic made things worse as a surge in home sales left builders unprepared. A lack of available housing inventory, and land on which to build, is exacerbated by a severe shortage of laborers and skilled tradesmen to build the houses.

The shortage of available housing is affecting a disproportionate number of lower income families across the state. But the solution isn’t as simple as building more houses or offering tax incentives for builders.

Ed Brady, CEO of the Home Builders Institute – a national nonprofit provider of trade skills training and education for the building industry – said the imbalance of supply and demand has created a confluence of events that are contributing to the problem.

“The need is at crisis levels, we don’t have skilled labor to build the housing, or infrastructure that we need in this country,” Brady said.

Economic Downturn

During the Great Recession, the residential construction industry lost an estimated 1.5 million jobs. Thousands of home builders went out of business. The road to recovery has been a long one. With fewer workers, rising lumber costs and a limited inventory of raw materials, last year took an average of 8 months to build a single-family home. That is the longest since the Census Bureau began collecting data in 1971.

The Home Builders Institute actively recruits people in the skilled trades through on the job training and no cost pre-apprenticeship training and certification programs. Brady said their partnership with the Home Depot Foundation helps provide programs across the country that began as an outreach to help transitioning military families.

“Now they’re helping us get into high schools,” Brady said. “They’re helping us with organizations like 100 Black Men of America, they’re helping us create academies throughout the country. We need to get industry invested in this movement to get more skilled labor. The opportunity for young people, underserved people is there; we just need the funding to help them find a career path like the rest of the country has.”

The Home Builders Association of West Virginia has six local associations. They include North Central West Virginia Home Builders Association, Southern West Virginia Home Builders Association, Greater Charleston Home Builders Association, Eastern Panhandle Home Builders Association, Northern Panhandle Home Builders Association and the Mid-Ohio Valley Home Builders Association.

The association’s president Aaron Dickerson said that the severe labor shortage in skilled residential construction is worse in the state’s rural areas.

“Housing affordability and affordable housing kind of goes hand in hand,” Dickerson said. “And with that, the labor shortage of creating those homes, we’re really trying to draw the manufacturers, the businesses into state but the rural areas where the companies are trying to come to – it is difficult in finding the construction companies and the labor to provide the affordable housing for the individuals who are going to work on those projects and eventually form the skilled labor for those companies.”

Aging Workforce

In 2022, nearly a quarter of skilled tradesmen were 55 or older. For every three tradesmen that retire, there’s just one trained worker waiting to take their position.

“That generation was heavy into the skilled trades and they’re all leaving the workforce, whereas my generation, when I was coming up through school, if you didn’t plan on going to college then you were doing the wrong thing,” Dickerson said. “So you’ve got two generations there that have left the workforce, and it’s created this huge void we are now trying to fill.”

It’s estimated the U.S. won’t catch up with demand until 2050. By 2030, almost 80 million skilled tradesmen will have retired.

Apprenticeships are increasing as manufacturers and other companies associated with the trades partner with organizations like the Home Builders Institute to provide students with the skills, experience and job placement while addressing the industry’s labor shortage.

Dickerson said part of the problem is the stigma surrounding manual labor and the emphasis today to earn a college degree.

“We’re trying to get rid of that stigma of walking down the street and parents saying, ‘Well look at that street sweeper, you don’t want to be that person, or look at that plumber, you don’t want to do that,'” Dickerson said. “That stigma of getting your hands dirty isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s the old adage that dirty money is a clean money type situation – that you can make a good living wage, and not put yourself in a ton of debt.”

The Home Builders Association of West Virginia works with tech schools in Marion and Monongalia counties. They also collaborate with the Wood County Vocational Technical Center in Parkersburg. A student chapter through the Mid Ohio Valley Home Builders Association is focused on introducing more young people into the profession.

“Because those students are coming out – that’s the next generation of our workforce – so the more we can be involved with them during the training program, the more we can ensure they are trained in the way we would like to hire somebody.”

He said national efforts to fill jobs are better funded, but they try to do as much as they can on a local level to make the profession more attractive.

Viable Wage

“In the future, your skilled trades are going to be some of your higher paying jobs because less and less people want to do it and that skill just isn’t there like it was handed down generation to generation in the past,” he said. “And that’s where getting rid of that stigma of getting your hands dirty is so important – to let these kids understand that you can go out, get your hands dirty and still provide for your family.”

The average salary for entry-level sheet metal workers in West Virginia is $56,000. The hourly rate for the men and women who choose to become electricians is $27+ an hour. Carpenters can make up to $31 an hour and up to $64,000 annually.

Kent Pauley, state representative to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), is a seasoned tradesman and contractor. He said the good news is that today’s skilled laborers are entering the profession at a time of increased job security and better work conditions.

“When I was coming up in the early ’70s, it was very difficult to make a good living, I mean the pay scale,” Pauley said. “I tell the story if I was fired there’d be five people behind me wanting that job. Well, that’s not the case today. We have to pay better, do a better job of taking care of our employees, there’s better insight for job safety than what it used to be.”

Immigration

The residential construction industry has historically relied on immigrants who make up 30 percent of all positions. This includes Hispanics and people from eastern Europe trained in skills like carpentry, painting, drywall, tile installation, brick masonry and others.

But with tougher immigration policies, this readily available workforce has shrunk.

“With an immigration policy that restricts the flow of those that are willing to do jobs that sometimes are hard to fill, it causes just another headwind to provide the skilled labor in order to build the housing we need in this country,” Brady said. “Without a good immigration policy, which provides legal free flowing skill to come into the country, we’re going to continue to go in the wrong direction in providing that skilled labor.”

Brady said the industry needs to embrace change.

“We have a huge opportunity to diversify this industry,” Brady said. “It’s traditionally been, quite frankly, white male dominated. You add in the immigrant population, we need to market to women, to people of color and we need to diversify this industry in order to populate the skills that we need.”

According to the Home Builders Institute, 723,000 more jobs per year are needed to keep up with demand. That translates to the need for builders to bring on 30 times more new hires than the current pace.

Brady stressed the answer lies in opening the skilled trades to a broader and younger workforce.

“The reason it’s so important to get young people into the industry is we’ve lost a generation or two of giving people the opportunity to explore the industry,” Brady said. “A degree was a mandate out of the high school system. And that hasn’t panned out to be all that productive.”

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This story is part of the series, “Help Wanted: Understanding West Virginia’s Labor Force.”