The first of seven regional meetings being held throughout the state to bring the public’s attention to highway issues in West Virginia was conducted Wednesday in Beckley.
We appreciate the efforts of the West Virginians for Better Transportation and its co-sponsors, the state Municipal League and Association of Counties. What they are doing is vitally important, educating the public on the dire need to repair, replace, upgrade and add to our road and bridge system.
And while maybe it’s just a coincidence, we find it interesting that our region should be chosen as the first stop for such an event.
Might it be that the rest of the state knows how deprived we have been for new road development compared to the amount of taxes being extracted from our area?
Could the fact that we have to pay tolls to travel on our interstate highways, unlike any other part of the state, be part of the reasoning for seeking our support?
Or is it the worry it may be tougher to sell us on higher taxes for better roads and bridges?
Maybe none of the aforementioned items has anything to do with it as far as they are concerned — but it has everything to do with it for southern West Virginia.
If West Virginia is really going to be “Open for Business,” concrete and asphalt roads are just as important, if not more so, than the information and technology highway we frequently hear about from Charleston.
We still want what is due to us, quality access, i.e., the Beckley Z-Way, Coalfields Expressway, King Coal Highway, so we can move our economy forward.
Make a commitment to southern West Virginia in the form of these roads and then we’ll make a commitment to supporting the revenue streams needed to get things done.
The time has come to say fair’s fair.