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January 14, 1998
Governor Cecil Underwood made the following statements concerning the Coalfields Expressway in his State-of-the-State Address on Wednesday, January 14, 1998
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Governor Cecil Underwood (R-West Virginia) made the following statements concerning the Coalfields Expressway in his State-of-the-State Address on Wednesday, January 14, 1998.
"In Southern West Virginia, we must complete three strategic triangles to expand and diversify the vast economic potential of the region.
The eastern side of the first triangle is already complete in the West Virginia Turnpike. The southern side will be completed with the construction of the King Coal Highway to connect Welch with Bluefield, and the third side will be the Coalfields Expressway [emphasis added].
This budget includes $5 million in state funds to build the Welch interchange, which will begin to link these two vital highways.
The second triangle will be completed when the King Coal Highway extends from Welch to Williamson with the other sides being the Coalfields Expressway [emphasis added] and Corridor G."
Richard Browning, Executive Director of the Coalfields Expressway Authority, today issued the following statement from his office concerning Governor Underwood's remarks in his address.
"Governor Underwood's remarks in his state-of-the-state address indicate the strong, continuing commitment on the part of his administration begun last year to the construction of the Coalfields Expressway through Raleigh, Wyoming, and McDowell Counties.
His statements concerning the construction of this highway are the result of many years of diligent, hard work on the part of many grass-roots level individuals in these counties. It is also a result of having an organization in place to daily promote the development and the construction of this vital highway in this tri-county area.
I am extremely pleased that he is focusing so much of the highway resources available in his administration on road building in Southern West Virginia. The Coalfields Expressway Authority members as well as all the residents of the counties this highway will traverse stand ready to assist the governor in the near future in the historic ground-breaking ceremony which will take place on Indian Ridge at the border of Wyoming and McDowell Counties. We are pleased to see that Governor Underwood is one of the first governors of this state not only to recognize that southern West Virginia has been passed over many times in the past for road building projects, but is willing to stand up and do something about it.
The construction of the Coalfields Expressway is needed to put Southern West Virginia on an even playing field with the rest of the state and our border states for economic development projects. Survey after survey tells us that infrastructure is the number one consideration for businesses willing to locate or relocate somewhere. We have to have this highway in Raleigh, Wyoming, and McDowell Counties in order to provide our people with the same standard of living enjoyed by residents of other areas of the state that do have the economic benefits of modern highways."
D. Michael Goode, Chairman of the Coalfields Expressway Authority, today issued the following statement from his office concerning Governor Underwood's remarks in his address.
"I was very pleased to see in his State-of-the-State address Governor Underwood's commitment to the building of the Coalfields Expressway. With a plan to begin construction on this highway by 1999, we should see some almost immediate results in improvements in the economic picture in all of Southern West Virginia."
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