Funding challenges and higher prices for materials will force the West Virginia Division of Highways into a holding pattern soon, state legislators were told this week. Far from being able to construct new roads and bridges, the agency will have to struggle merely to maintain those our state already has.
State Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox issued the grim forecast Tuesday, during testimony before a legislative interim committee meeting. "We're transforming the Division of Highways into more of a maintenance organization," he commented.
Maintenance always has been a key role for the DOH-but news that its officials are, in effect, giving up on plans to build new roads and bridges is among the worst pieces of news West Virginians have received this year.
Though Mattox didn't say it, we will: If the DOH's funding situation continues in a downward spiral, how long will it be before even maintenance needs to be cut back even more than already is the case?
Particularly striking in Mattox's testimony was his analysis of DOH funding. As West Virginians drive less because of higher gasoline prices, revenue from the state tax on fuel will decrease. But Mattox predicted only a slight drop in revenue from that source: It will be about $660 million for the current year, dropping to about $648 million in fiscal 2012-13, he estimated.
That situation is worse than it may appear at first glance, because of the increasing costs of road and bridge materials. Mattox said prices have increased about 71 percent since December 2003.
But the most worrisome news from Mattox involves federal highway funding-always a major source of money for West Virginia road and bridge projects. DOH funding from federal sources is expected to be about $325 million this year, he said - but that may drop to $206 million for fiscal 2009.
Revenue for the federal highway funding program is decreasing, too, Mattox explained. He added that President Bush has threatened to veto any bill Congress may use in an attempt to supplement funding to the states.
That would be no surprise, given federal officials' historic pattern of doling out money for various programs in the states-then cutting it off when the need to economize is felt in Washington.
But federal highway funding-with much of its revenue coming from fuel taxes paid by residents of the states receiving the aid-should not be treated that way. Surely Congress and the White House can find some other area of the federal budget in which spending cuts would not affect so many people so adversely.
West Virginia's representatives in Congress, along with their peers from other states, should make it a priority to avoid drastic cuts in highway funding sent to the states.