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CHARLESTON -- The West Virginia Division of Highways plans to use $150 million in supplemental funding requested by Gov. Jim Justice to pave more than 830 miles of roads. including about $2 million worth of projects within each of our region's local counties.
"The need for this paving right now is great," said West Virginia Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, P.E. "Our core maintenance plan has outperformed our budget for paving. These roads are ready to go."
Officials said core maintenance -- filling potholes, clearing ditches and making sure existing roads are smooth, clean and dry -- has gone so well that many state roads are ready to be repaved now, instead of later. If those routes aren't paved soon, they'll have to be patched again in the spring, officials said.
In anticipation of the West Virginia Legislature approving Justice's supplemental budget request, the WVDOH began paving many roads in July.
"I didn't want to lose a paving season," Wriston said.
Local paving projects included on the list follow:
• Randolph County, 18 projects totaling $2,784,000, including:
Repaving the Coalton Road, $519,000.
Kingsville Road, $255,000.
Repaving in Helvetia by the Upshur County Line, $280,000.
Rich Mountain, Phase 2, $320,000.
Old US 33, $245,000.
Sully Road, $365,000.
• Barbour County, eight projects totaling $2 million, including:
Repaving US 250 between Belington, the Philippi Road, $1,600,000.
The Denger Road, $100,0000.
The Stringtown Road, $160,000.
• Upshur County, two projects totaling $1.9 million, including:
Repaving Old US 33, $1,590,000.
The Phillips Dairy Road, $400,000.
• Tucker County, six projects totaling $1,460,000, including:
Repaving Limestone Road, $510,000.
Sugarlands Road, $280,000.
Location Road, $192,000.
Back Hollow Road, $190,000.
• Pocahontas County, 22 projects totaling $2,571,000, including:
Repaving in Marlinton and Edray, $315,000.
Edray – Fairview, $325,000.
Douthards Creek, $200,000.
Back Mountain Road, $200,000.
The Roads to Prosperity program and Secondary Roads initiative has allowed the DOH to implement training, provide update equipment and hire new employees.
The DOH project list includes projects in every single delegate district in the state. Paving will be done not only on secondary roads in every county, but on some major state and US routes.
In June 2021, the Legislature approved a request from Justice for $150 million in supplemental funding for the DOH. That money paid for 400 projects, including 742 miles of paving, slip repairs and bridge projects.