The Chairman of the group West Virginians for Better Transportation tells MetroNews what people think about the road needs in the Mountain State are largely the same, no matter where you are in the state. The group recently wrapped up a series of public meetings focused on the state's transportation system.
"Each of them had their own particular concerns as far as which projects should be built, but the overriding theme was 'we've been waiting too long for these projects,'" said Chair Joe Denault, adding that a lot of comments were taken during the series of seven meetings.
Meetings were held in Beckley, Huntington, Charleston, Morgantown, Martinsburg, Bluefield and Wheeling. Denault said the comments his group heard will be passed on to the Gov. Joe Manchin's Administration and members of the State Legislature.
Denault said, if anything, it's clear there is no easy way to address the road construction needs in West Virginia immediately.
"The Administration is really grappling for a way to try to address many of these projects. I think that we're going to be hearing a lot about public-private ventures and seeing if there's some way that they can play a part. Certainly, that may be possible for some of the projects that are involved," he said.
However, Denault said, what's needed is a long-term plan for road construction in West Virginia. And, that will only come after a vigorous public debate on the issue and then some action from the state government.
"We think that once that happens and people really start letting their wishes be known, both the Legislature and the Administration will find a way to bring that long range plan into existence," he said.
For the past several years, funding for road construction in West Virginia has been flat, even as construction costs have risen.