Governor Jim Justice’s meeting with state Department of Highways district engineers and county supervisors was surprisingly short—less than 15 minutes—and to the point: “We’re going to fix the damn roads.”
Specifically, the Governor ordered the DOH supervisors to quickly prioritize a list of what needs to be done in their counties. “I’m going to give you 72 hours to write down every single road, every road that is in your county, every single thing that you think is wrong,” and come up with an order of importance for the projects.
(Brad McElhinny has the full story here.)
Justice again referenced the selling of DOH equipment, which he has pointedly blamed on former Governor, now U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, and asked the DOH for a wish list. “I got to have what you think you need to do aggressive—now that’s the word—aggressive maintenance all the time. Now that’s what I’ve got to have.”
Justice said once he has the prioritized list of road work and equipment needs, state Revenue Secretary Dave Hardy will be charged with finding the money. The Governor has already suggested combining the annual revenue from highway taxes and fees with some of the Roads to Prosperity bond money and General Revenue funds to pay for the work.
There was no give-and-take in the meeting, not one comment from any of the DOH supervisors or engineers. It was a one- way conversation where the Governor clearly established that he wants Highways to get busy on maintenance—now.
He did so without blaming Highways for falling behind on the routine work. In fact, he credited them with trying to do their job under difficult circumstances. “I really believe you are the backbone of everything,” he said, adding later, “There’s a real good chance I’m going to be here for six more years. I gotta have you with me, and I know you will be.”
Justice said he could be Highways “best ally” or their “worst nightmare” depending on how they responded to his orders.
The condition of the roads has become the top issue in West Virginia. Years of deferred maintenance, along with funding, equipment and manpower shortages have combined to make the repair and maintenance of 40,000 miles of roads over mountains and up hollows a Herculean task.
It will require an incredible amount of money, labor and materials to catch up, and it is quite possible that is beyond reach. Even Justice admitted as much, but added that West Virginians should expect to see progress. “Can we do a hell of a lot of it? You’re absolutely right… that’s what we gotta do.”
After a delay since he first promised secondary road repairs in his State of the State speech last January, Justice has now established clearly and very publicly that the state is going to fix the roads, and the 72-hour deadline to list and prioritize projects and equipment needs reflects Justice’s impatience.
“I don’t believe in things taking a long time,” he said. “I want stuff done.”
So do West Virginians, especially when it comes to the roads.