Two major road projects in southern West Virginia — the Coalfields Expressway and King Coal Highway — are in line for $3.92 million apiece in the new omnibus appropriations bill crafted in Congress by the state’s delegation.
In addition, state Route 10 is targeted for $980,000 to finance widening and other safety enhancements.
Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., steered the King Coal and Coalfields money into the transportation portion of the spending document, geared for anticipated approval in the Senate after the House passed it Monday night, an aide to the senator said Tuesday.
As sought by Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., the appropriations measure also includes $1,476,000 to provide more work on the Marlinton portion of the Greenbrier River flood protection plan, raising the total dedicated to that project to $7.5 million.
“For too long, we have traveled on the dangerous, deteriorating Route 10,” Rahall said.
“This funding will help to bring an added measure of safety to the many West Virginians who use the road each day.”
Another $468,384 is targeted for the Southern West Virginia Environmental Infrastructure Project.
Rahall also managed to secure $39,480 for the Community Connections Teen Centers in Mercer and Wayne counties for improvements and an expansion of after-school and weekend programming.
Such facilities provide homework-based tutoring, computer labs, recreational outlets, alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse prevention programs, parental training and town hall meetings.
Another $150,000 went to the Connected Technologies Corridor, a regional entity designed to enhance technology infrastructure and entrepreneurial development in southern counties.
Among projects embraced by the CTC are the Interstate 64 Technology Corridor, the I-77 Technology Corridor and business parks in Lewisburg, Hinton, Montgomery, Huntington and Beckley, along with Concord University.
“This funding is essential to the development of a program that will help to bring the latest technological opportunities to businesses in our area and will help keep all of southern West Virginia on a level playing field in a sector that is becoming increasingly more competitive and constantly changing,” the 3rd District congressman said.