DOT first with plans for stimulus spending
$215 million designated for major projects, repairs
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - As Gov. Joe Manchin began meetings with legislators Tuesday on how the state will spend its federal economic stimulus funds, the Department of Transportation became the first agency to finalize plans for how it will allocate its share of those funds.
Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox said it was a challenge to pare down a nearly $1 billion "wish list" to fit the $215 million of highways funds available to West Virginia in the stimulus package. Ultimately, that meant eliminating all but four major new highway construction projects: Corridor H ($21 million), the Mon-Fayette Expressway ($14.9 million), W.Va. 9 ($29 million) and the East Beckley Bypass ($32 million).
Most of the remaining funds will go for 99 repaving or bridge repair or replacement projects on Interstate highways and other major roads, he said.
"We tried to distribute the funds as evenly as possible among the three congressional districts in the state," he said. The 1st District, in northern West Virginia, will receive $73.3 million, while the 2nd District will account for $69.7 million, and the 3rd District, in the southern part of the state, will get $72.3 million in stimulus projects. That includes $2 million for grant programs for each district.
Mattox said he realizes many constituents and legislators will be disappointed to learn that road projects they had favored will remain unfunded. "The expectations far outreach the resources we've got to put toward these projects," he said.
To put the $215 million in perspective, Mattox noted that it costs about $30 million to build 1 mile of four-lane highway in rough-terrain areas.
Earlier Tuesday, Manchin met with House Democrats in a party caucus to discuss the stimulus package. "My sense is, the governor is looking for input from the Legislature," Delegate Nancy Guthrie, D-Kanawha, said afterward. "I'm not sure the governor understands, nor do we, how much oversight the Legislature will or won't have over the stimulus package," added Guthrie, chairwoman of a House select committee on the stimulus funds.
Several legislators have raised concerns that the Legislature will have little voice in how the estimated $1.8 billion of stimulus funds are allocated around the state. On Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Don Caruth, R-Mercer, raised the issue on the Senate floor. "If there is a process, I would certainly like to hear it," he said.
Manchin spokesman Matt Turner said the governor told delegates Tuesday they will be fully informed as the process moves forward. "The one thing he stressed is transparency - making sure he shares the information with them," Turner said.
Turner said the administration is still not clear on how much authority the Legislature will have to appropriate stimulus funds. "As it stands now, a lot of that money will flow through the agencies that are responsible for that spending," he said.
Manchin is scheduled to attend the Senate Democratic caucus this morning.
Said Guthrie: "Everybody in this body is looking at the global picture: What's going to be best for job creation and economic stimulation - putting people to work."