Report: State-funded highways show improvement

Report: State-funded highways show improvement  

Publication: The Exponent Telegram
Release Date: 08/19/08
Contact: Billy Wolfe

CLARKSBURG — The overall conditions of West Virginia’s state-funded highways have improved over the past year, but weaknesses in a few key areas remain problematic, according to a recent state-by-state study.

In its 17th Annual Report on the performance of State Highway Systems, the Reason Foundation ranked the Mountain State 24th overall in the nation, up two places from last year’s study.

“While we certainly attribute our road improvements to our adherence to the core maintenance program, it is our additional focus on maintaining and improving existing roads through an increased pavement program and bridge program that perhaps explains (the increase) best,” Karen Zamow, spokeswoman for the state Division of Highways, said in a written statement.

But the state can’t brag about it’s ranking in all of the study’s 12 categories.

West Virginia came in dead last for the second straight year for having the narrowest roads in the country.

And the condition of the state’s bridges reflected the national trend by improving slightly. However, only four states — New York, Hawaii, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania — were ranked lower than West Virginia.

“We continue to believe in our bridge inspection program. We have full confidence in its ability to provide the citizens and motoring public with a safe highway bridge system,” Zamow said.

She added that the term “structurally deficient” does not mean that the bridge presents danger to motorists.

“It simply means that the bridge may need to be monitored, inspected and/or maintained,” she said.

The American Society of Civil Engineers defines structurally deficient as “closed or restricted because of its deteriorated structural components.”

On the national level, there was some improvement, but the study notes that progress on bridge conditions is slow.

According to the study’s authors, at the current rate of improvement to bridges, “it would take 62 years for all deficient bridges nationwide to be brought to standard.”

Also, more people died on our state highways in 2007 than in 2006. West Virginia is now ranked 39th for highway fatalities, compared to 36th in the 2006 report.

But according to statistics released by the DOH, the state may fare better in next year’s study, as 2008 has seen a 23 percent decrease in roadway deaths from January to June, when compared to the same time frame from 2007. There were 220 fatalities by June, 2007 and 169 by June, 2008.

Zamow credited programs aimed at widening shoulders, increasing the number of DUI checkpoints and participation in Click It or Ticket.

The Click It or Ticket Program is an effort by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. On its Web site, the administration boasts that it is the most successful seat belt enforcement campaign, helping to create the highest national seat belt usage rate ever, at 82 percent.

“Seat belt usage rates were recently surveyed (in West Virginia) and are approaching 90 percent,” Zamow said.

The state’s highest ranking was in the category for urban interstate congestion, for which it was ranked 6th.

New Jersey was found to have the nation’s worst overall highway system for the ninth year in a row.

The Reason Foundation is a non-profit think tank based in California. It’s goal is to “promote free minds and free markets.”

Staff Writer Billy Wolfe can be reached at 626-1404 or by e-mail at bwolfe@exponent-telegram.com