Latest news with #WVDOT
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More than 300,000 transactions took place on the West Virginia Turnpike during the 2025 Memorial Day weekend
CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — More than 300,000 transactions were recorded on the West Virginia Turnpike during the 2025 Memorial Day holiday weekend. According to a press release from the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT), a total of 369,763 transactions, more than four percent higher than in 2024, took place during the Memorial Day weekend on the West Virginia Turnpike. Alternating lane closure scheduled in Greenbrier County West Virginia Parkways Authority officials stated in the release that around 24,000 more transactions took place on the West Virginia Turnpike from Friday, May 23, 2025, through Monday, May 26, 2025 compared to 2024. Tolls are $4.50 for passenger cars at each toll plaza, and there are three main plazas on the West Virginia Turnpike, according to the WVDOT. The press release stated that an E-ZPass is $27.50 per year for unlimited use and a one-time transponder fee. People can get, or renew, an E-ZPass here, by downloading the WVPA E-ZPass mobile app, or by applying in person at the Beckley Customer Service Center located at 12 Pikeview Drive, in Beckley, or at the West Virginia Parkways Authority E-ZPass Customer Service Center, 3310 Piedmont Road, in Charleston. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nearly one-third of West Virginia's roads are in ‘poor or mediocre conditions': report
CLARKSBURG, (WBOY) — If you live in West Virginia or know someone from here, you've probably heard at least one complaint about the quality of the roads. However, those complaints may be justified as a recent report has found that nearly a third of West Virginia's roads could use improvement. On Tuesday, the National Transportation Research Nonprofit, or TRIP, released its 'Keeping West Virginia Moving Forward' report of April 2025. In its report, TRIP found a direct correlation between West Virginia's quality of life and economic growth to the resiliency, efficiency and safety of West Virginia's transportation system. TRIP's research showed that nearly one-third of West Virginia's major roadways are in poor or mediocre condition, despite recent efforts to alleviate this issue, like the Roads to Prosperity Initiative, curated by Jim Justice during his term as Governor. With help from the voter referendum, the Roads to Prosperity Initiative provided $1.6 billion in funds, generating improvements by 67% in repairs to bridges and highways, although West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) Secretary Todd Rumbaugh said that this funding was not enough. 'While that did help and we put that money to good use doing a lot of projects and bringing things up to modern standards, it did not solve all of our problems, and it only began to touch on things,' said Rumbaugh in TRIP's press conference. Mon County couple stuck on family farm after bridge collapse During the same conference, TRIP Director of Policy and Research Rocky Moretti explained why the $1.6 billion in funding was so limited. 'Unfortunately, a significant increase in highway construction inflation, which since the beginning of 2022, has increased the price of highway construction projects by 45%. This has had a significant negative impact on the ability of these additional funds to proceed with needed work,' said Moretti. Rumbaugh said that the WVDOT plans to continue working alongside Gov. Morrissey to continue West Virginia's needed transportation repairs. He also mentioned several locations in north central West Virginia where construction can be anticipated to continue over the next few years. 'Bridgeport up to Morgantown, I-68, all those bridges along through there, we are working to replace and widen them to six lanes from four lanes, and that will continue for the next year or two. So, you're going to see that. And we also have several design projects on some of the interchanges in the Morgantown area,' said Rumbaugh. TRIP's report also stated that by 2025, the value of goods shipped in and out of West Virginia is anticipated to increase by 88%. TRIP's reported sourced information from the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), the U.S. Census Bureau, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
WVDOT makes progress on road repairs, but financial challenges lie ahead
CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — The West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) continues making progress in addressing roads and bridges within the state, but funding challenges may affect the effort, according to reports. According to a press release, the most recent TRIP report, a national transportation research nonprofit, stated that 19 percent of West Virginia's estimated 7,200 bridges are structurally deficient or in poor condition, meaning they have at least one issue that needs fixed. The TRIP report is a good tool for measuring the condition of highway systems. We appreciate the data that they collect and the way it serves the public. Poor and structurally deficient does not mean unsafe. We would not ask our citizens to cross any bridge we would not willingly cross ourselves. Stephen T. Rumbaugh, P.E. | Secretary of Transportation More than $20 million in FEMA Disaster Assistance approved in West Virginia The percentage of structurally deficient bridges is down from 20 percent in 2024. Rumbaugh stated that the department has been able to invest millions of dollars into bridge repair and replacement throughout the last five years, acknowledged within the report. WVDOT was able to increase the annual amount of investment in road, highway, and bridge repairs and improvements by 67 percent from 2018 to 2023, from $678 million to $1.132 billion. Since 2018, WVDOT has repaved nearly 8,400 miles of roadway and made repairs to more than 3,400 bridges. Data from the recent TRIP report Our goal is to get the number of poor bridges down below 10 percent. Stephen T. Rumbaugh, P.E. | Secretary of Transportation The report also stated that road fatalities in the state have increased. An estimated 1,340 people were killed in crashes in the Mountain State. Though road conditions were a factor in some crashes, the national rise in traffic deaths is widely attributed to distracted drivers, those impaired by drugs or alchohol, as well as drivers using their mobile phones. Any death on a West Virginia highway is one too many. Our goal continues to be zero fatalities on our state roads. As far as cell phone use goes, put it down. Look around. Stephen T. Limbaugh | Secretary of Transportation Fire fighters takes a break from spring fire season to bring the community together The report also highlighted funding challenges that the state faces as they try to maintain its systems of bridges and highways. Per the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), material and labor costs for construction projects increased by 45 percent from 2022 to mid-2024. The combination of additional state and federal transportation funding has allowed West Virginia to move forward with numerous projects to improve the condition, use, and efficiency of the surface transportation network. While this has allowed the state to undertake dozens of needed transportation projects, West Virginia still faces a funding shortfall to make additional repairs and improvements to its road and bridges. Data from the recent TRIP report For more information, visit the West Virginia Department of Transportation's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
