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Coalfields Expressway paving focus of Thursday ceremony

SLAB FORK, W.Va. — Gov. Jim Justice and state highways officials will be in Raleigh County Thursday for a groundbreaking ceremony in connection with one of the Roads to Prosperity projects.

Byrd White

An announcement from the governor’s office said a 2 p.m. event at Slab Fork will “celebrate” new paving work on the Coalfields Expressway.

State Transportation Secretary Byrd White said he expects more announcements from Gov. Justice next week in connection with road bond projects.

“We’re trying to get some stuff pinned down and we have,” White said during a Wednesday appearance on MetroNews “Talkline.” “We’re trying to make sure we’ve got the money in the right place, working with the federal government to see what kind of dollars they can help us with.”

The Coalfields Expressway has been talked about for years. It’s original design is a multi-lane expressway connecting the West Virginia Turnpike at Beckley to U.S. 23 in Grundy, Virginia. It’s a 65-mile project in West Virginia.

Thursday’s ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the end of the four-lane section at Slab Fork Road in Raleigh County.

White and acting state Highways Commissioner Jimmy Wriston were in the northern panhandle Wednesday meeting with DOH workers about what’s expected of them in their work on secondary roads. White said the pace for those repairs in the past month has been excellent.

“If we could maintain the pace that we’ve done in the past month, we’d have every secondary road in the state done in a year,” he said.

White said the agency also plans weekly maintenance updates on secondary roads at the Department of Transportation’s website.





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