CHARLESTON, WV - Seven years ago, Gov. Jim Justice asked West Virginians to believe in his vision for transforming the state's infrastructure and approve a constitutional amendment allowing the largest bond sale in state history. The funds would be used to rebuild and maintain roads and bridges in every corner of the Mountain State.
Voters overwhelmingly answered the call, with 73% supporting the Governor's bold plan, giving rise to the $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program, the largest infrastructure investment West Virginia had ever seen.
Today, Gov. Justice joined 1,320 West Virginia Department of Transportation workers to celebrate the remarkable success of this program. Each highway worker held a card representing one of the 1,320 projects made possible by Roads to Prosperity, highlighting the significant improvements made across the state's infrastructure.
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"This is absolutely one of the most important days in West Virginia history. We have accomplished things that nobody believed could have ever been possible. In fact, there were a lot of people that doubted this program. Despite the doubts, Toby and Edith made it known they were done being last, and they put their faith in the Roads to Prosperity program. We all believe in that vision now," Gov. Justice said.
"I look behind me at the 1,320 incredible DOT folks that represent the total number of projects that were on the books for decades. I cannot thank the folks at our Department of Transportation enough for the unbelievable work they've done and that they will continue to do. Roads are being fixed in every corner of West Virginia. We've created tens of thousands of jobs, our tourism is skyrocketing, and people around the world are taking notice.
"Roads to Prosperity started as a promise. I promised if West Virginians said yes on the bond vote that we'd do something that had never been done before. Today on this anniversary, I can say that we have delivered on that promise. Prosperity is HERE in West Virginia. We've planted the seeds for the future, and they will continue bringing prosperity for years to come. We are watching West Virginia become a powerhouse on the world stage, and we can thank Roads to Prosperity for laying the foundation."
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Gov. Justice envisioned Roads to Prosperity as a way to create immediate jobs in West Virginia while addressing decades of underinvestment in the state's roads and bridges, spurring economic development across the Mountain State.
The program included major projects like the $224 million effort to replace or upgrade 26 bridges along Interstate 70 in Wheeling and the $254 million project to expand Interstate 64 to six lanes between Nitro and the US 35 exit, which also replaced the Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge with two new spans.
Roads to Prosperity also funded smaller bridge, paving, and slide repair projects in every county-many of which might have remained untouched for years without this initiative.
To date, nearly all of the 1,320 Roads to Prosperity projects have been started or completed.
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"Today is indeed the most important milestone in West Virginia's history," Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Transportation Jimmy Wriston, P.E. said. "When you talk about transportation in West Virginia, you are talking about the Roads to Prosperity program. Our infrastructure was off track due to decades and decades of underinvesting. The bold vision of Gov. Justice changed that. His vision got us on the launch pad for the rocketship ride. None of that would have made any difference if it wasn't for our DOT workers. We are all connected. That is the message the Governor instilled in us with his leadership. We are all pulling the rope together in the same direction, and our connections are much stronger. Gov. Justice's Roads to Prosperity program has turned West Virginia around."
"Seven years ago, I had no idea how much transportation would shape our tourism, and now I know it's our biggest asset," Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby said. "We have come a long way, and what an absolute privilege it has been working so closely with our DOT. Gov. Justice's incredible vision for Roads to Prosperity and telling West Virginia's story has boosted our tourism like never before. We welcome 75 million visitors to our beautiful state each year, and they are all driving on our roads. Today, we celebrate how important our roads are to our tourism efforts. We proudly promote the country roads that have made West Virginia famous. We owe a huge thank you to Gov. Justice for his support and leadership. He has been our biggest advocate since day one, and West Virginia has become a world-class tourism destination."
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Major projects undertaken under Roads to Prosperity include:
Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge and I-64 Widening Project
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Completing the Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge project on Interstate 64 between the Nitro and St. Albans exits eliminates a significant bottleneck and improves driver safety on one of West Virginia's most heavily traveled interstates.
The project involved building a brand-new bridge just north of the old Donald Legg Bridge to carry westbound traffic. The old bridge was torn down, and a new bridge was erected on the existing bridge piers to carry eastbound traffic. Each bridge is four lanes wide, allowing motorists to travel between the Nitro and St. Albans exits without merging into traffic.
The work is part of an approximately $254 million project to upgrade I-64 to six lanes from Nitro to the US 35 exit. The project also called for the construction of five new bridges in addition to the new Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge. Construction is expected to be finished by the end of October.
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In 2019, work began on a massive project to replace or rehabilitate 26 different bridges in and around Interstate 70 in the Wheeling area, increasing safety for travelers and improving traffic flow once the project is complete.
One of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, the approximately $224 million project replaces or rehabilitates infrastructure dating back to the 1950s, which would have been too expensive to undertake prior to Roads to Prosperity.
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Corridor H was designed to open some of West Virginia's most remote areas in Grant, Tucker, and Hardy counties to economic development, connect the state's highlands to eastern ports, reduce travel times through the mountains, and provide a smoother, safer highway for both travelers and residents.
Stretching from Weston across central West Virginia to connect with Interstate 81 in Strasburg, Virginia, the completion of the four-lane Corridor H has been in progress for decades but had stalled for years. When Gov. Justice took office and launched his Roads to Prosperity program, additional funding was secured, allowing work on the corridor to resume.
Today, over 100 miles of Corridor H are open to traffic, with approximately 30 miles remaining.
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The section of the West Virginia Turnpike around Beckley has historically been one of the most congested portions of the entire Turnpike, with heavy traffic and the potential for accidents. That changed in the fall of 2021 with completing a $140 million widening project between mile marker 40 (Interstate 64 Interchange) and mile marker 48 (North Beckley exit).
The Turnpike was widened to six lanes for the eight-mile stretch of highway, which includes the Mabscott, Tamarack, and Beckley exits. The six-lane upgrade eased congestion in the heavily traveled section of the Turnpike and improved safety on the stretch of highway.
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The Coalfields Expressway (WV 121) is a four-lane limited access highway designed to connect The West Virginia Turnpike at Beckley with US 23 in Slate, Virginia, opening West Virginia's Southern Coalfields to never-before-seen economic development opportunities. The four-lane will also replace narrow, twisting country roads with safer, faster, and more direct routes.
Construction began in 1999 but stalled due to a lack of funding.
In 2017, Gov. Jim Justice committed to extending the Coalfields Expressway as part of his Roads to Prosperity program. In 2020, an 8.9-mile section of the Expressway opened to traffic between Slab Fork in Raleigh County and Mullens in Wyoming County.
In May 2022, a $147.6 million project was awarded to Bizzack Construction to build a 5.12-mile section of highway from Welch to WV 16 to connect the town with the Coalfields Expressway.
Future plans are also in the works to build a five-mile stretch of the Coalfields Expressway from Mullens to Twin Falls State Park and a three-mile link from Twin Falls toward Pineville.
About 18 miles of the Coalfields Expressway are currently open to traffic.
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When Gov. Justice took office, he made the completion of Corridor H, the Coalfields Expressway, and the King Coal Highway significant priorities of his administration. On Wednesday, December 13, 2023, Gov. Justice cut the ribbon and celebrated the grand opening of an approximately three-mile stretch of the King Coal Highway spanning from Airport Road to John Nash Boulevard near Bluefield.
The approximately $68 million project, the first section of the King Coal Highway to be funded through Gov. Justice's $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program, connects Airport Road to the previously constructed Christine Elmore West Bridge and the bridge to the intersection of John Nash Boulevard and US 460. Kanawha Stone Company Inc. was awarded the contract in October 2018, with construction starting that winter.
The King Coal Highway is a four-lane highway approximately 95 miles long, running through McDowell, Mercer, Mingo, Wyoming, and Wayne counties, along or near the currently existing US 52 from US 119 near Williamson to Interstate 77 in Bluefield. The project is intended to open West Virginia's southern coalfields to economic development.
Development of the King Coal Highway has been underway since the 1990s but bogged down for lack of funding before Gov. Justice revitalized the project in 2018. A two-mile section of the King Coal Highway connecting Airport Road to Interstate 77 and a four-mile section connecting US 119 to Belo north of Williamson is currently open to traffic. About 10 miles between Red Jacket and Mountain View is also open.
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