HUNTINGTON It affects people getting to their jobs, students getting to school, and goods coming into and leaving the state.
The economy, education, tourism and simply quality of life are all affected by West Virginia's transportation system, and there's a group that's traveling the state to raise awareness about challenges in improving transportation statewide.
West Virginians for Better Transportation (WVBT) stopped at the Rahall Transportation Institute in Huntington on Wednesday. It was the second of seven scheduled stops it's making this fall to share information about where West Virginia's transportation system stands and the hurdles it must overcome to improve.
The group also is gathering feedback from government officials and leaders in those areas, feedback which members will consider presenting as solutions to the state Department of Transportation.
With soaring gas prices, roads in particular are an issue for many West Virginians, said WVBT Chairman Joe Deneault.
According to Deneault who is retired from the state Department of Transportation after more than 30 years of service the Division of Highways recently reported that it needs $350 million more per year to keep up with statewide demand for highway construction and maintenance. And the list of 170 transportation projects surpasses $20 billion in costs, in today's dollars, he said.
Deneault said only 8 percent of those projects will be funded in the next 24 years.
"If those projects are truly needed and that should be part of the discussion then that is unacceptable," he said.
Some other statistics he presented:
- 37 percent of West Virginia bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
- About 46 percent of the bridges on the state's highway system and 63 percent of the state's interstate system will need significant repairs by the year 2026.
- 27 percent of West Virginia's major roads are in poor or mediocre condition.
- West Virginia leads the country in the percentage of narrow lanes 67 percent are less than 10 feet wide.
- Vehicle travel is expected to increase 40 percent by 2025, and 67 percent on the interstates by 2026.
- Miles of roads paved in the state have dropped by 50 percent during the past five years.
- West Virginia's highway fatality rate is increasing while nationally it's decreasing. The state's rate is 50 percent above the national rate.
The state's current road fund comes from state gasoline tax, which is 31 cents per gallon, the automobile privilege tax and driver's license and registration fees. Federal funds come, but usually require a match, Deneault said.
The troubling thing is that while expenses are increasing, the Department of Transportation projects that state road fund revenues will decrease from $680 million next year to $651 million by 2012.
Bottom line: "In any given year, you could only build 16 miles of new road a year, and that's if you do nothing else," Deneault said.
So the state needs new sources of revenue, and this is where local officials were asked for their suggestions.
Huntington City Councilman Cal Kent said the solution should not be based on the gas tax "because it's a dinosaur."
Another problem is that with gas prices, motorists are continually searching for ways to use less of it, he said. "At best, it would be a short-term solution to a long-term problem."
He also suggested that the state constitution be changed so that cities and counties are less restricted on what they can do to cope with the issue.
"Even the user-fee approach wouldn't work until we have more taxing authority at the local level," Kent said.
Deneault provided an example of a potential solution in Virginia. The state has created two regional authorities and allowed residents to vote on additional taxes that would go toward roads in their particular region.
"The lesson from that is: People are willing to pay for road improvements, as long as they know it's going to their area," he said.
Among other ideas are a service fee, proposed in Monongalia County, or increasing toll roads. As it is, 85 percent of the state's tolls are paid by out-of-state residents, Deneault said.
Sen. Evan Jenkins, D-Cabell, suggested that local leaders take it upon themselves to get ideas from local residents to prioritize the needs of their own area. The way things work now, people feel like they have little input into the DOH system, he said.
"We have to step up to the plate locally ... to build confidence in the public," he said. "We have to approach this problem in a very different way than we have in the past."