State lacks the roads to economic growth

State lacks the roads to economic growth  

Publication: The Herald-Dispatch
Release Date: 01/16/08
Contact: Diane W. Mufson

"On a clear day, you can see forever," or so goes the song from the 1960s Broadway show. Well, you really can't see forever, but on a day filled with bright blue skies, it is estimated that a person can see for about 25 to 30 miles on a US Airways flight from Huntington's Tri-State Airport to Charlotte.

Last week, as my husband and I flew on the mid-day flight, the conditions were perfect for observing the area south of Huntington. It was a great opportunity to view the marvelous topography of western West Virginia and eastern Kentucky from thousands of feet above the ground.

As we flew over Southern West Virginia, one thing became clear. There are few if any major highways in this part of our state. Regardless of coal company activities or other industries, a viable economy will never come to Southern West Virginia without improved roadways.

A AAA road map confirms the absence of major highways in southwestern West Virginia. Yet, eastern Kentucky, whose landscape is similar to ours, has well-maintained four-lane roads, including U.S. 23 leading to Asheville, N.C., and the Hal Rogers and Mountain State parkways moving traffic westward to I-75.

West Virginia's U.S. 119 has opened up a four-lane passage from Charleston to Kentucky, and the West Virginia Turnpike leads traffic through the middle of Southern West Virginia. But two-lane U.S. 52 from Huntington to Bluefield, with speeding, heavily loaded coal trucks, is still the main north-south artery in western West Virginia.

As we flew south, the tiny communities were replaced by mountainous terrain, narrow valleys, curving roads and houses separated by great distances or mountains. The aerial view showed that towns might not be far apart, but the rugged landscape made it difficult to go from one area to another.

Other than the unsightly scars from mountaintop mining, the land below seemed devoid of any major economy. As many have noted, extractive industries such as coal, gas and timber have traditionally provided the only economic development in this area. Even in good times (which may now be on the wane), these businesses employ many fewer people than they did previously.

According to the state Department of Health and Human Resources, from 1950 to the turn of the 21st century, Southern West Virginia lost disproportionately high numbers of residents largely due to economic factors. Population decreases in McDowell County tallied more than 70 percent.

Building highways is expensive in any environment but more so in rugged mountainous regions. However, flying over this scenic area suggests that geography may be destiny. If people and industry can't get there, the exodus of residents and poverty will continue or accelerate.

It's well known that western southern West Virginia needs much in the way of infrastructure. But if meaningful economic change is going to occur in some of the poorest counties in this region, then as the view from the air shows, new highways will have to be built.

Diane W. Mufson is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Huntington. She is a former citizen member of the Herald-Dispatch editorial board and a regular contributor to the Herald-Dispatch editorial page. Her e-mail is dwmufson@comcast.net.