Officials praise $12M in funding for Corridor H paving
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The Inter-Mountain photo by Anthony Gaynor
Construction is ongoing on Corridor H near Kerens. The highway has received $12 million in funding from the federal government. The money will be used for paving between Kerens and Parsons.
ELKINS -- Corridor H is receiving a new influx of cash from the federal government for paving work on a section of the highway. Corridor H Authority Chairman Robbie Morris said the $12 million in funding will help keep the construction on target.
"Every additional dollar that comes from Washington, D.C. speeds up construction," Morris told The Inter-Mountain Tuesday. "Any additional money out of Washington helps with the timetable."
The $12 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation is for paving a section of Corridor H from Kerens to Parsons. Morris said with the newly announced funding, Corridor H has received $145 million in the last 18 months from the federal government.
"We are really appreciative of Gov. Justice and the (West Virginia) Department of Transportation for working with our congressional delegation to get this funding," Morris said. "Everyone is working together really well and it is paying off."
Congressman David B. McKinley, R-W.Va., said finishing the highway is very important.
"Completion of Corridor H needs to be a top priority," McKinley said in a press release. "In states like West Virginia, this grant funding is especially helpful and important as the difficult mountain terrain creates extra costs of constructing additional infrastructure. These federal funds will further assist with the engineering and design of a critical part of the Corridor H project and will ease the transportation of people and goods across the Appalachia region. I look forward to the economic development both West Virginia and the entire nation will receive once the project is complete."
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said in a press release he was grateful for the efforts of the West Virginia Department of Transportation for their efforts to finish Corridor H. He said the INFRA Grant program received more than 172 applications totaling over $7.2 billion in requests for a program funded at $906 million.
"It is a testament to the importance of completing Corridor H that West Virginia received $12 million of those funds from DOT," Manchin said in the press release. "When completed, Corridor H will be the economic gateway to much of West Virginia, which is why I worked hard as governor to open more than half of Corridor H and as senator, I will continue to fight for West Virginia to receive the funding to complete Corridor H."
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said she was pleased to hear the funding was announced for the Mountain State.
"The mountainous terrain of our state creates challenges as we construct additional infrastructure, but this federal support will allow for the completion of an existing project along Corridor H in Tucker County, easing the transportation of people and goods from all across the mid-Atlantic region," Capito said.