Gov. Jim Justice is ready to ask for $150 million to be transferred for secondary roads maintenance, and West Virginia’s transportation secretary says his department will put the money to good use.
“I have a list of paving projects,” Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston told lawmakers on Sunday evening.
Justice issued a proclamation for a special session on Saturday night. Wriston was speaking Sunday before the Oversight Commission on Transportation Accountability when Chairman Daniel Linville, R-Cabell, asked him late in the meeting to describe how the money will be used. Legislators are supposed to gavel in for the session about 1:30 p.m. Monday.
“I was quite confident that the Legislature, based on its history with me, that if I asked for more money to do paving projects that are ready to be paved — I was confident to go ahead and advance many of those projects, and that is what we’ve done,” Wriston said. “Tomorrow I will be sending over a list of those projects so that everyone will know exactly where that money for paving projects will be.”
Linville wanted to be assured that the projects will be distributed around the state.
“Are those largely going to be disbursed around the state in a reasonable and fair fashion?” Linville asked.
Wriston said many of the projects have been completed already, but explained that the funding would now catch up. “You’re going to see a very balanced program,” he said.
Although the bulk of the money will go towards road maintenance, Wriston specified that $25 million is meant to go toward equipment.
“I’m really struggling to get equipment and trucks. It’s really problematic. Not just the cost, but the timeframe on receiving,” Wriston said, noting that the agency has identified much of the equipment through a broad search and is ready to receive it in time for use in the spring.
Asked by MetroNews during a Friday briefing about the possibility of allocating additional funds for roads, Governor Justice expressed enthusiasm but did not specify at the time. Justice described a long-term emphasis of his administration to improve and maintain the roads.
“Yes, we need to do more, and absolutely you’ll be seeing that real, real, real soon,” Justice said. “You will be seeing more of an effort from my side and hopefully more of an effort from the Legislature’s side. They’ve been great in following suit and helping to really, really, really make a real commitment to continue to do anything and everything we can to make more and more repairs, especially to secondary roads.”