Tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in revenue.
The Appalachian Regional Commission released a study last Thursday saying those would be the results of completing the rest of the Appalachian Development Highway System.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise.
Access, specifically roads and rails, remains the key to enhancing our chances of being competitive on a global basis.
West Virginia is prime picking for large distribution and transportation terminals, IF (and we capitalize that because it is a big one) we can develop modern highways and maintain and upgrade our existing rail network. We are located in a critical spot for not only the Eastern Seaboard but also the Midwest, yet we are bypassed in most instances because we don’t have the highways.
If we did, the economic impact would be staggering.
ARC estimates completion of the ADHS will cost up to $16.6 billion. Big bucks.
However, more than 80,000 jobs and $3.2 billion in wages would be created by 2035 along with national savings in travel time, operating costs and increased safety that would grow by at least $5.1 billion during the same time frame. The report calculates that the return will be $3 for every $1 invested.
The study’s principal author, Dan Hodge, says, “No matter how we look at it, completing the system shows a return on investment for both the region and the country as a whole.”
This truly is our chance to address the poverty woes we are afflicted with.
So what do we do?
We’ve heard all about the financial woes of maintaining our present roads and bridges, along with the mounting money challenges presented for any new road construction. But hey, what do we elect leaders for?
Stop telling us about the roadblocks transportation funding is faced with and start doing something about it. We can talk and write about this for as long as we want; it’s time for some of our politicians to be bold and daring — step forward and invest now. If we don’t, then we’ll be telling you 25 years from now — “If only we had done it back then.”
Back then is now. Securing the future is now. Many that can lead the movement, now, will have to leave it to their children to see the results of their efforts. The need for a vision has never been more important.
We must make certain that in June 2035 this newspaper is reporting about the venturesome and nervy actions the leaders of 2008 took then to better West Virginia, Appalachia and America.
