Tag: WVDOT

W.Va. Department of Transportation Creates Interactive, Online Map of Road Projects

The West Virginia Department of Transportation has released an all-new, interactive, online map that shows every current road project across the state — for both primary and secondary roads.

The map provides real-time statistics on how much road work has been completed across a variety of categories, including Gov. Jim Justice’s Secondary Roads Maintenance initiative and the Roads to Prosperity program. 

Secretary of Transportation Byrd White said in a press release the map was created in an effort to be transparent with the public about road issues.

“Under the leadership of Governor Justice, we have stated that we were going to provide a way to show the public, in a transparent way, the progress we have made in a short amount of time,” White said. “This interactive website allows everyone who’s interested to see what’s been done and what will be done, before the end of the year. It’s pretty remarkable.”

See below for a tutorial on how to use the map:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3hkB3X5Mmk

Road problems, specifically on secondary roads, were the focus of heated discussion and contention during the regular 2019 state legislative session. Since then, the West Virginia DOT has released lists for each county showing all secondary road projects. 

The new interactive map displays all road projects for 2019, including projects that are underway, those about to be started, and those completed.

To date, more than 30,000 miles of projects have been completed, including ditching, patching, paving and road stabilization.

UPDATED: Amid Rising Waters, Road Closures and High Water Warnings Issued Across W.Va.

Updated 2:50 p.m. Feb. 19th:

20 counties across West Virginia have been included in a West Virginia Department of Transportation report issued Monday warning drivers about roads that are closed due to high water.

According to the report, the following counties have been affected: Wood, Mason, Putnam, Cabell, Lincoln, Mingo, Wayne, Jackson, Pleasants, Marion, Preston, Taylor, Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Wetzel, Webster, McDowell and Mercer.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency early Saturday, Feb. 17, for all 55 counties in response to flooding and rising rivers.

 

Justice Touts Highways Construction Plan in Statewide Tour

SLAB FORK, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice touted his highways construction program that would be financed by higher taxes and fees as he launched a statewide tour to promote the plan that he says would create tens of thousands of jobs in West Virginia.

Justice told a crowd in Slab Fork that the tax increases would not be permanent and would only serve as a stop-gap measure, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.

“I know it’s going to hurt a little bit in the beginning, but it’s going to be so good that you won’t believe it,” Justice told more than 200 people who attended the launch of his statewide tour on Sunday, Feb. 19.

Justice said that without the increases, the state will continue to suffer economically.

“We’re too good to die, but we’re all dying,” Justice said. “We’re right on the verge, right on the verge of doing something that will be the detriment of West Virginia forever.”

He said the state has already cut too much, and tax increases are the best solution.

“In order to get to the sacred ground of ‘balance the budget,’ there’s got to be more than ‘balance the budget.’ You got to find a way to grow,” the governor said. “If all we do is try to balance the budget, we’re going to die.”

Justice’s highways construction program would be financed through a $20 increase in the annual license plate renewal fee, a 10-cents-per-gallon increase in the state gasoline tax and a $1 increase in turnpike tolls. Justice said the plan would create 48,000 jobs.

The King Coal Highway and Coalfields Expressway in Southern West Virginia would be a primary focus of the construction program. The project has been delayed due to the decline of the coal mining industry. Justice, a Raleigh County native, said the project would put unemployed coal miners back to work. Multiple towns throughout the area are not connected to the highway system.

When completed, the Coalfields Expressway will be about 65 miles long. Only eight miles are open to drivers today.

Justice also proposed a business park called the Mountain State Connector that would serve as a backup to government data in case of a federal government breach or private banking breach. Justice said the location would be in a 250-mile radius from Washington, D.C., and serve as a modern-day equivalent to The Greenbrier’s secret bunker built in the 1960s to house Congress in the case of a nuclear disaster.

“West Virginia is the logical connector to be a backup system for all of that information,” Justice said.

Justice said he’d propose the plan to President Donald Trump soon.

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