CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Roads across West Virginia are in need of repair, but with the state Division of Highways working with limited resources, there doesn’t appear to be an easy fix.
Carrie Bly, a spokeswoman for the West Virginia Department of Transportation, said the funding mechanism for the DOH isn’t keeping up with the increasing cost of maintaining the state’s roads.
The DOH is funded through West Virginia’s gas tax, Bly said.
“There’s no new source of funding that has been coming in,” Bly said. “We’re getting the same amount of money we were decades ago, 10-plus years ago. Times have changed. Needs have changed, and we need more funding.”
Chris Stadelman, a spokesman for Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, said the governor is well aware of the need to address West Virginia’s road infrastructure problems.
“Gov. Tomblin is adamant about the critical need for a long-term plan to fix our highways and secondary roads, and he has worked with members of our congressional delegation to secure a permanent funding plan for the federal Highway Trust Fund,” Stadelman said.
“Regardless of any changes West Virginia may make, the reality is that all states, including ours, must count on federal funds to assist with both new construction and maintenance,” he said.
Once the federal system allows for better planning at the state level, it will be easier to determine the appropriate path for the state to take going forward.”
But the state shouldn’t count on a long-term solution from Congress any time soon…
