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Highway funding critical in 2014 session

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The funding which once fueled miles and miles of road construction through West Virginia’s hills is rapidly drying up. As that happens, the roads in place are slowly deteriorating and repair priorities are constantly being shifted with the state’s highways budget.

Much of the funding issue was brought to light over the past year by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Highways authorized by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin. Their findings were eye opening and will be staring state lawmakers straight in the face when the regular session of the 2014 legislative session opens in Charleston.

“We’re going the wrong way,” said State Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox. “For a while we at least had a steady 500 Million dollar highway construction fund, but that has been scaled back to about 400 Million.  That’s a significant change.”

The figure represents 20 percent of the money used for road building in West Virginia. Mattox and the Tomblin Administration continue to search for ways to make up that funding. It’s still undecided what parts of the Blue Ribbon Commission’s recommendations will be floated in Charleston as legislation.

“We’re taking a look at what to render in the regular session and what might be floated later in the year in a special session,” Mattox said. “It’s still being debated.”

Tolls and tax hikes were very unpopular suggestions by the Commission to make up the shortfall.

Another cost cutting measure is already in place. The public/private partnership action passed by lawmakers last year is already paying dividends. Mattox thinks it might have a larger promise, but they’ll have to wait and see.

“Public private partnerships the way we are looking at them are not bringing any new revenue into the projects,” said Mattox. “But it may help us to get those projects started and enacted quicker with the contractor doing some interim financing.”

Mattox said the decision is still being made on what to propose and what will need more time, study, debate, and public acceptance.





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