Southern West Virginia highway paving projects surge with new funding

BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Southern West Virginia is seeing a wave of road improvements as the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) uses funds from a supplemental budget passed earlier this year.

Contractors have already completed paving on more than three dozen roads, part of a statewide initiative funded by a $150 million budget appropriation signed by Gov. Jim Justice in May.

The additional funding, approved by the West Virginia Legislature, supplements $190 million in federal highway funds.

Senate Bill 1002, signed on May 30, 2024, has set in motion 406 paving projects across the state, with 176 already completed.

Jim Moore, district engineer for WVDOH District 9, which covers Fayette, Greenbrier, Monroe, Nicholas, and Summers counties, highlighted the positive impact of the surplus funding.

“For the first time in my 30-year career, we are seeing real improvements to our overall highway system,” Moore said, crediting the Legislature’s commitment to safe, efficient roads.

In District 9 alone, six of 17 planned projects have been completed, totaling $5.1 million. This has allowed for the paving of an additional 50 miles of two-lane roads that would have only received patchwork repairs.

Key projects include sections of US 60 from Hico to Spy Rock and Boomer to Alloy in Fayette County, as well as WV 39 from Enon to Summersville Road in Nicholas County.

The remaining projects in the district are expected to be completed by the end of October.

In District 10, which includes McDowell, Mercer, Raleigh, and Wyoming counties, the surplus funding is fueling 68 projects that will cover 148 roads.

So far, 82 roads have been repaved, totaling nearly 90 miles of fresh asphalt.

Ryland Musick, District 10 Engineer, noted the transformative impact on the region.

“It has enabled us to reach roads and needs in our district that were simply not possible any other way,” Musick said.

Notable completed projects in District 10 include WV 123 (Airport Road) in Mercer County, WV 54 from Hotchkiss to Slab Fork in Raleigh County, and WV 971 from Clear Fork to Lillydale in Wyoming County.

Ongoing work includes paving WV 16 from Welch to Pineville in McDowell County, which is expected to be finished soon.