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Official: Bond referendum could speed road projects

By CHARLES BOOTHE

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

BLUEFIELD, W.Va.  — Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday at the Bluefield Coal Show that the King Coal Highway will “absolutely” be built if the upcoming $1.6 billion bond referendum passes, but road projects on the list for Mercer County include only the portion of the highway from Bluefield to Airport Road.

That list, which is tied to the referendum and his Roads to Prosperity Program, has 29 projects in Mercer County for a total of about $116 million.

But according to Carrie Jones, communications specialist with the state Department of Highways, all projects on the list are already on the six-year plan.

 “What this (the bond referendum) would do is allow us to have the money now and do the projects sooner,” she said, adding that the money for the extension of the King Coal Highway from the so-called bridge to nowhere to Airport Road (3.8 miles), which is a $50 million project, is from turnpike bonds already set aside for the work.

The bond referendum could move up the construction, but funding would not directly come from those bonds.

Del. John Shott (R-Mercer County) supports the referendum, but does find the details “confusing for a lot of people.”

Shott said the $1.6 billion referendum would not provide nearly enough funding to actually finish the King Coal Highway or the Coalfields Expressway, another road Justice said will be built if the referendum passes.

But that money is part of a larger revenue source, which includes other bonds tied to the turnpike and federal dollars as well as public-private partnerships.

“I don’t think it’s spelled out in the bond documentation (exactly where any other money would be spent),” Shott said. “He (the Governor) does have some latitude through those sources.”

Justice said Wednesday the total money available for his roads program will be about $3.2 billion, maybe more if Pres. Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan is passed.

Money will be needed to match any requirements for federal dollars if an infrastructure plan is passed.

“He (Justice) may know more about that (Trump’s plan) than we do,” Shott said, adding that with all the possible resources together, “it’s entirely possible” the roads could be completed.

Regardless, Shott said the state, especially southern West Virginia, needs road work and the bond referendum will help accomplish that.

Jones said those projects on the list may take as long as 20 years to complete without the bond referendum.

But Del. Marty Gearheart (R-Mercer County) said he will not vote for the referendum.

“I don’t find a tremendous amount of wisdom in the Governor’s plan,” he said. “I appreciate him thinking big, but we also need to be smart. The Governor has not earned any bonus points from me with his degree of honesty.”

Gearheart said no details are available for what is required for any federal funding and the state has never had a problem in the past providing matching funds.

“I don’t know that it is an issue,” he said.

Every project on the Governor’s list is already on the six-year plan, he said, and work on the section in Mercer County of the King Coal Highway was scheduled to begin in 2019.

“It was intended to be built and it’s already been accounted for,” he said. “It’s already been funded. They are trying to sell it and say everything will be paid for by his plan.”

Other funding sources are available for roads, he said, including bonds and those partnerships that basically borrow money from the contractors who will do the work, then be paid back over time.

“We have already expanded the Governor’s capacity to build highways,” he said.

Gearheart is also skeptical of Justice’s claim no other tax increases will be sought. Several tax and fee hikes were approved during the legislative session this year that bring in about $140 million a year, money that is supposed to be used to pay off the bonds.

“You have been told your taxes will go up (if it passes),” Justice said Wednesday. “That is absolutely as bogus as bogus can be. You have already had a tax hike.”

“I do believe he will come back and ask for money,” Gearheart said.

The Governor’s “rhetoric” often doesn’t match what can be done, he added.

“Before I have a tremendous amount of faith and trust, I want to see his rhetoric and action match up,” Gearheart said.

The total cost of completing both highways is estimated to be about $2.3 billion.

The expressway will connect I-77 and I-64 with Southwest Virginia, cutting through McDowell and Wyoming counties. King Coal HIghway is part of an interstate system that, when finished, will run from Detroit, Mich., to Myrtle Beach, S.C., bringing more people through the state each year.

— Contact Charles Boothe at [email protected]

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