Latest news with #RoadstoProsperity
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Partnerships part of the state's plan to address future road projects
Jun. 10—MORGANTOWN — The words "partners " and "partnerships " were repeated time and again Monday as Gov. Patrick Morrisey laid out foundational changes in how the state is going to address roads under his administration. The collaborative spirit is an apparent change in attitude rooted in necessity. Pointing to decades of under-investment in maintenance and significant bond debt taken on for construction projects through the Roads to Prosperity program, Morrisey said the West Virginia Department of Transportation will be doing more with less and operating with a renewed focus on maintenance. As for new construction projects coveted by public and private entities across the state, they may require some local skin in the game to get built—partners, if you will. Long story short, the state needs help. "We have to acknowledge that one of the things that we're talking about today are partnerships with counties. We're going to be working with the counties even more aggressively than you've seen in the past. That's critical because the state doesn't have the resources to address every single need that's out there, " Morrisey said, further explaining investment from the private sector can be brought to bear for high-priority projects through public-private partnerships. This should be music to the ears of many in Monongalia County. The process was pioneered here nearly a decade ago. On Sept. 1, 2016, former Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin was in town to formally open Interstate 79 exit 153. The $22-million interchange was the first major highways project in West Virginia, and possibly the country, that was born of an agreement between the county, state, Federal Highways Administration and a private developer — WestRidge. Within two years or so of its opening, sales tax-increment financing from the surrounding economic development (TIF) district fully repaid the state's investment. "You know, you would have thought the state would have celebrated that and set that up as a model going forward as to how we can work together collaboratively, because they put that interchange in for WestRidge, and they got their money back in two or three years, " Glenn Adrian said. "But it was like nobody really celebrated that or was really paying attention." But Adrian, co-founder of Enrout Properties, was definitely paying attention. Shortly after exit 153 was completed, public /private efforts for two additional projects began in earnest: the overhaul of the neighboring I-79 exit 155, again with WestRidge, and construction of a new Harmony Grove interchange providing interstate access to Enrout's Morgantown Industrial Park. Movement on both has been slow, despite local buy-in. On exit 155, Monongalia County Commissioner Sean Sikora pointed out that not only has $5 million in local support for the project's engineering and prep work been committed, but the county and its partners pulled down a $54.3-million federal grant for the work despite having a $66-million pledge from the state in hand. As for Harmony Grove, Adrian said former WVDOT leadership actually signed a public-private agreement with Enrout and Monongalia County in 2020. Through that agreement, any funding generated by the Harmony Grove TIF district beyond repayment to bond holders would go directly to the state to reimburse its portion of the new interchange. "The problem is, that had been forgotten, " Adrian said, explaining he spoke with Transportation Secretary Todd Rumbugh following Monday's announcement. "He was delighted to hear that we'd already set up a collaboration agreement to pledge tax increment to reimburse the state. He said, 'I don't think any of us knew that.'" Sikora said it's refreshing to hear a governor "speaking our language " in terms of implementing a data-driven approach to transportation spending. Further, he said Monongalia County has proven that a collaborative approach to major projects can work. "We're willing to think outside the box and come up with answers. We don't say, 'Hey, we have this problem, fix it.' We bring solutions to the table, " Sikora said, adding "The other counties shouldn't take this news with fear. We're looking to continue the growth here and in some of these areas so that we can help push for growth in other areas. A rising tide lifts all boats." Adrian had similar thoughts. "As Mon County typically is, we were ahead of the curve in recognizing the fact that we were willing to help the state get its money back for its portion of these projects, which goes hand in hand with what the governor was saying about working with the counties if they have a project they're interested in developing, " he said. "If we can get the projects we need and help reimburse the state leading to future investment here or elsewhere, that helps everyone."
Dominion Post
a day ago
- Business
- Dominion Post
Partnerships part of the state's plan to address future road projects
MORGANTOWN – The words 'partners' and 'partnerships' were repeated time and again Monday as Gov. Patrick Morrisey laid out foundational changes in how the state is going to address roads under his administration. The collaborative spirit is an apparent change in attitude rooted in necessity. Pointing to decades of under-investment in maintenance and significant bond debt taken on for construction projects through the Roads to Prosperity program, Morrisey said the West Virginia Department of Transportation will be doing more with less and operating with a renewed focus on maintenance. As for new construction projects coveted by public and private entities across the state, they may require some local skin in the game to get built — partners, if you will. Long story short, the state needs help. 'We have to acknowledge that one of the things that we're talking about today are partnerships with counties. We're going to be working with the counties even more aggressively than you've seen in the past. That's critical because the state doesn't have the resources to address every single need that's out there,' Morrisey said, further explaining investment from the private sector can be brought to bear for high-priority projects through public-private partnerships. This should be music to the ears of many in Monongalia County. The process was pioneered here nearly a decade ago. On Sept. 1, 2016, former Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin was in town to formally open Interstate 79 exit 153. The $22-million interchange was the first major highways project in West Virginia, and possibly the country, that was born of an agreement between the county, state, Federal Highways Administration and a private developer – WestRidge. Within two years or so of its opening, sales tax-increment financing from the surrounding economic development (TIF) district fully repaid the state's investment. 'You know, you would have thought the state would have celebrated that and set that up as a model going forward as to how we can work together collaboratively, because they put that interchange in for WestRidge, and they got their money back in two or three years,' Glenn Adrian said. 'But it was like nobody really celebrated that or was really paying attention.' But Adrian, co-founder of Enrout Properties, was definitely paying attention. Shortly after exit 153 was completed, public/private efforts for two additional projects began in earnest: the overhaul of the neighboring I-79 exit 155, again with WestRidge, and construction of a new Harmony Grove interchange providing interstate access to Enrout's Morgantown Industrial Park. Movement on both has been slow, despite local buy-in. On exit 155, Monongalia County Commissioner Sean Sikora pointed out that not only has $5 million in local support for the project's engineering and prep work been committed, but the county and its partners pulled down a $54.3-million federal grant for the work despite having a $66-million pledge from the state in hand. As for Harmony Grove, Adrian said former WVDOT leadership actually signed a public-private agreement with Enrout and Monongalia County in 2020. Through that agreement, any funding generated by the Harmony Grove TIF district beyond repayment to bond holders would go directly to the state to reimburse its portion of the new interchange. 'The problem is, that had been forgotten,' Adrian said, explaining he spoke with Transportation Secretary Todd Rumbugh following Monday's announcement. 'He was delighted to hear that we'd already set up a collaboration agreement to pledge tax increment to reimburse the state. He said, 'I don't think any of us knew that.'' Sikora said it's refreshing to hear a governor 'speaking our language' in terms of implementing a data-driven approach to transportation spending. Further, he said Monongalia County has proven that a collaborative approach to major projects can work. 'We're willing to think outside the box and come up with answers. We don't say, 'Hey, we have this problem, fix it.' We bring solutions to the table,' Sikora said, adding 'The other counties shouldn't take this news with fear. We're looking to continue the growth here and in some of these areas so that we can help push for growth in other areas. A rising tide lifts all boats.' Adrian had similar thoughts. 'As Mon County typically is, we were ahead of the curve in recognizing the fact that we were willing to help the state get its money back for its portion of these projects, which goes hand in hand with what the governor was saying about working with the counties if they have a project they're interested in developing,' he said. 'If we can get the projects we need and help reimburse the state leading to future investment here or elsewhere, that helps everyone.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Morrisey: Massive culture change needed on roads
Jun. 9—BRIDGEPORT — Broken roads. Broken bridges, Broken system. Broke. Gov. Patrick Morrisey traveled to the heart of road condition discontent on Monday to announce what he's calling a "massive culture change " in how the state approaches the construction and maintenance of its road system. Morrissey said the state needs to be more efficient, more transparent, more maintenance-focused and even more collaborative in its efforts. But it wasn't a pep talk — at least not initially. "Today I'd like to speak with you openly and candidly about the problems that we face and what we're doing to fix it, " he said, standing in the parking lot in front of West Virginia Division of Highways District 4 headquarters, in Bridgeport. Morrissey said he took office to find a department of transportation that was "basically out of money " but engaged in new construction projects all over West Virginia. The money tied to the multi-billion dollar Roads to Prosperity program initiated under the previous administration is spoken for — "spent wildly " to hear Morrissey explain it. The result, he continued, is a state in need of massive infrastructure investment, but already home to the most bond-indebted highway system in America. "We were designing and starting construction on highways all over the state that we had no way to pay for. And we got to the point where soon we were going to have to tell some of the contractors to stop working, " he said, adding, "It actually got to the point where the federal government came to our administration very early in our tenure and they said if West Virginia doesn't change the way we manage our highway system then they were going to reduce the amount of federal funds that were coming into our state." Morrisey laid out a number of steps his administration is taking to begin addressing the problems. The first will be a prioritization of the repair and maintenance of existing infrastructure over new construction. According to Morrissey, it's hard to justify pushing new projects "when a basic look at our financial numbers makes it obvious that we can't even afford a lot of the existing highways that are on the books." Transportation Secretary Todd Rumbaugh said the initial focus will be on lowering the percentage of "poor " bridges in the state from 14 % to below 10 % by 2028. Morrissey said he's also called for a thinning of the DOT's top-heavy organizational chart, explaining money that should be going into the state's roads has been going to an ever-expanding list of job titles in Charleston and beyond. Going forward, Morrissey said the decision-making process surrounding transportation projects will be transparent and data-driven, not the result of closed-door political wrangling. He said a prioritized list of upcoming bridge and secondary road projects would be published on the department of transportation website Monday afternoon. If private interests and /or local government have a project requiring some degree of urgency, Morrissey said there will be opportunities to work with the state. "We're looking for partnerships. That could be monetary. It could be other forms. We're open to that, " he said. "The object is to get things done, and to get things done with the highest quality in the shortest period of time. There may be counties that want to move fast on a particular project or want to move up on the priority list and they're willing to be helpful — that's great." Monongalia County Commissioner Tom Bloom made the trip to Bridgeport. He left believing "it's a new day " at the DOH due to leadership changes made at the state and district level. "My first reaction is excited. I finally heard that I can tell the citizens of Monongalia County that the governor's office realizes that certain areas have been underaddressed and is planning to move forward, " Bloom said. "The second thing we heard is he is looking to work with the counties and our priorities on new projects, roads and intersections. The third is transparency. I'm very excited. I was fortunate to meet with him for 10 minutes yesterday and this is what he said. He wants Monongalia County and the north central region to move forward." Much like Bloom, Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization Executive Director Bill Austin said he, too, was encouraged by the governor's remarks, particularly in terms of transparency. "A systematic, policy-driven way to select projects is very important and it's really what the whole MPO process is aimed toward, being able to develop a state transportation improvement program with the input from everybody. I'm very much encouraged by that, " Austin said. "It's no secret, you've seen it with several projects ... The previous process was basically if you got the governor's ear and it was important to the governor that's how projects were selected. This is going to be a more data-driven process."
Dominion Post
3 days ago
- Business
- Dominion Post
Morrisey: Massive culture change needed on roads
BRIDGEPORT – Broken roads. Broken bridges, Broken system. Broke. Gov. Patrick Morrisey traveled to the heart of road condition discontent on Monday to announce what he's calling a 'massive culture change' in how the state approaches the construction and maintenance of its road system. Morrissey said the state needs to be more efficient, more transparent, more maintenance-focused and even more collaborative in its efforts. But it wasn't a pep talk – at least not initially. 'Today I'd like to speak with you openly and candidly about the problems that we face and what we're doing to fix it,' he said, standing in the parking lot in front of West Virginia Division of Highways District 4 headquarters, in Bridgeport. Morrissey said he took office to find a department of transportation that was 'basically out of money' but engaged in new construction projects all over West Virginia. The money tied to the multi-billion dollar Roads to Prosperity program initiated under the previous administration is spoken for – 'spent wildly' to hear Morrissey explain it. The result, he continued, is a state in need of massive infrastructure investment, but already home to the most bond-indebted highway system in America. 'We were designing and starting construction on highways all over the state that we had no way to pay for. And we got to the point where soon we were going to have to tell some of the contractors to stop working,' he said, adding, 'It actually got to the point where the federal government came to our administration very early in our tenure and they said if West Virginia doesn't change the way we manage our highway system then they were going to reduce the amount of federal funds that were coming into our state.' Morrisey laid out a number of steps his administration is taking to begin addressing the problems. The first will be a prioritization of the repair and maintenance of existing infrastructure over new construction. According to Morrissey, it's hard to justify pushing new projects 'when a basic look at our financial numbers makes it obvious that we can't even afford a lot of the existing highways that are on the books.' Transportation Secretary Todd Rumbaugh said the initial focus will be on lowering the percentage of 'poor' bridges in the state from 14% to below 10% by 2028. Morrissey said he's also called for a thinning of the DOT's top-heavy organizational chart, explaining money that should be going into the state's roads has been going to an ever-expanding list of job titles in Charleston and beyond. Going forward, Morrissey said the decision-making process surrounding transportation projects will be transparent and data-driven, not the result of closed-door political wrangling. He said a prioritized list of upcoming bridge and secondary road projects would be published on the department of transportation website Monday afternoon. If private interests and/or local government have a project requiring some degree of urgency, Morrissey said there will be opportunities to work with the state. 'We're looking for partnerships. That could be monetary. It could be other forms. We're open to that,' he said. 'The object is to get things done, and to get things done with the highest quality in the shortest period of time. There may be counties that want to move fast on a particular project or what to move up on the priority list and they're willing to be helpful – that's great.' Monongalia County Commissioner Tom Bloom made the trip to Bridgeport. He left believing 'it's a new day' at the DOH due to leadership changes made at the state and district level. 'My first reaction is excited. I finally heard that I can tell the citizens of Monongalia County that the governor's office realizes that certain areas have been underaddressed and is planning to move forward,' Bloom said. 'The second thing we heard is he is looking to work with the counties and our priorities on new projects, roads and intersections. The third is transparency. I'm very excited. I was fortunate to meet with him for 10 minutes yesterday and this is what he said. He wants Monongalia County and the north central region to move forward.' Much like Bloom, Morgantown Monongalia Metropolitan Planning Organization Executive Director Bill Austin said he, too, was encouraged by the governor's remarks, particularly in terms of transparency. 'A systematic, policy-driven way to select projects is very important and it's really what the whole MPO process is aimed toward, being able to develop a state transportation improvement program with the input from everybody. I'm very much encouraged by that,' Austin said. 'It's no secret, you've seen it with several projects … The previous process was basically if you got the governor's ear and it was important to the governor that's how projects were selected. This is going to be a more data-driven process.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Morrisey announces overhaul of West Virginia DOT to reduce debt, save money
BRIDGEPORT, (WBOY) — Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced plans for big changes in the West Virginia Department of Transportation (DOT) on Monday, including plans to decrease administrative staff and pause work on new highway projects. During a press conference in Bridgeport, Morrisey said that because prior financial management 'spent wildly in the past,' the DOT is 'basically out of money,' and is in substantial debt from transportation projects, having committed nearly 30 years worth of Roads to Prosperity money in less than seven years. According to Morrisey, West Virginia has $909 in transportation debt per resident, which is substantially higher than most other states. Morrisey emphasized the need to make sure that road conditions improve in the state but on a much tighter budget. To address the financial problems, Morrisey said he plans to cut back on administration jobs in the DOT by relying on technology and to pause new highway construction projects. He said his administration will prioritize fixing existing roads over creating new highways and that some current highway construction projects will be put on hold until the state can pay for them. 'We can't even afford the existing highways that are on the books,' he said during the press conference. WV Prosecuting Attorneys Association 'setting record straight' on criminal penalties from miscarriages He also said that to save state money, his administration will partner with counties on more road projects. He said he looks forward to counties and members of the private sector stepping up to help take care of West Virginia's roads. The DOT project list is being rewritten with a focus on 'data-driven and evidence-based decisions' instead of 'politics,' according to Morrisey who said that the DOT will no longer focus on the 'squeaky wheel.' Morrisey's office is also prioritizing financial transparency and revamping the DOT website to include publicly available information on how state funds are being used on roads and transportation in West Virginia. Morrisey said during the press conference that even during the 'massive culture change' in the DOT, his administration is working toward improving the safety of West Virginia's roads and bridges, which are among the worst in the country. 'We have to do more with less,' he said during the press conference. Morrisey's full press conference is available to watch on his YouTube page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
