We’re still learning what type of Governor Jim Justice will be, but we know that he does think big, and his highway plan is evidence of that.
Justice’s proposal calls for increasing DMV fees from $30 to $50, raising West Virginia Turnpike tolls by $1 and adding another 10-cents a gallon to the gasoline excise tax (from the current 20.5 cents) to generate several billion dollars for road construction.
During his State-of-the-State address last week Justice predicted the massive road project “will create 48,000 jobs. It will complete the network that we’ve got to do. It will make tourism explode,” Justice said.
State Transportation Secretary and Highways Commissioner Tom Smith told me on Talkline that Justice expects results. “Governor Justice has clearly challenged us to go big,” Smith said. “That’s what we intend to do. We intend to push projects out in an accelerated fashion.”
Justice and Smith deserve credit for identifying and pushing to the forefront a serious problem in West Virginia. Our roads and bridges are crumbling. New roads take forever to build, if they are constructed at all. State and federal funding have stagnated even as costs and demands have risen.
The plan calls for using the new revenue streams to pay for bonds to finance the road work. Bond issues would have to go before the voters, and that means West Virginians can decide whether they want to pay more for better roads.
Infrastructure is integral to economic development. One of the reasons Procter & Gamble chose the Tabler Station site near Martinsburg for its new plant is because it’s next to I-81. Good roads don’t guarantee that prosperity will follow, but antiquated, pothole-filled roads are clearly a detriment to development, as well as a safety hazard.
Justice’s big plan still needs to be fully sussed out. For example, in his speech he referenced an annual $8 fee that West Virginians could pay to avoid state turnpike tolls. There could be interstate commerce challenges to that proposal.
He’s also promising more toll roads. “As we go forward there is going to have to be something in your neighborhood that will be tolled.”
The Governor’s plan to increase the excise tax on gasoline by 50 percent can be justified by the argument that those who use the roads should pay for them. However, consumers watch gas prices closely and comparison shop, especially if they live in a border community. A higher gas tax will be a tough political sell.
Justice’s road construction plan is big, bold and controversial. Anytime you propose raising taxes and adding toll roads there are going to be objections. However, at least the Governor has identified a serious problem and proposed solutions, and that’s a good beginning to #FTDR (Fix the Damn Roads).