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June 23, 1997
The Coalfields Expressway Authority met with Governor Cecil H. Underwood on the status of the Coalfields Expressway
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The Coalfields Expressway Authority met with Governor Cecil H. Underwood (D- WV) on the status of the Coalfields Expressway last Monday, June 16, 1997, in the Governor's Office at the State Capitol in Charleston. Also in attendance at the meeting were Division of Highways Commissioner Fred VanKirk and WVDOH Business Manager Danny Ellis.
"I was very pleased with the outcome of the meeting," stated Richard Browning, Executive Director of the Coalfields Expressway Authority. "The Governor is and has been very supportive of our efforts to build this highway." Browning presented the Governor with a booklet containing a brief history of the Expressway and some of the economic development benefits associated with constructing the highway.
Governor Underwood in his state of the state address last February endorsed the highway. "Additionally, it is time to make a determined commitment to build the southern coal expressway and to explore the possibility of using Parkways funds and other funding for this project. This step is essential to develop and diversify the economy of the southern coal fields and it is certainly time to make this project a top priority..." In the meeting on Monday the Governor reaffirmed his commitment to develop the roadway.
Parkways funding for the project was explored in the meeting but Commissioner Vankirk stated that the road then would have to be a toll road. There is not much support for that concept, according to Browning.
VanKirk also stated that engineering and routing studies would be available for public comment sometime in September of this year. He said that public hearings would be scheduled and then, after the hearings were completed, WVDOH officials would decide which route the highway would follow. "Although I am not pleased that the hearings are going to be held so late this year, I am glad that in September we will be over this hurdle," Browning said. "We have been told over and over every year by highways officials that the studies are just about complete and construction will begin soon. It's time to hold some feet to the fire and start buying right-of-way."
VanKirk stated that most of the original $50 million appropriated to the state in 1991 under the ISTEA (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act) legislation, is still intact. He said that approximately $4 million was used to pay for the studies, leaving $46 million to start on the highway. Total cost of constructing the highway will be nearly $1 Billion, according to WVDOH documents.
Governor Underwood stated that he has been in contact with West Virginia's Congressional Delegation in Washington, as well as with the republican leadership in Congress, and the battle that is looming now for West Virginia is how much of the Highways Trust Fund money will come back to the state. For every dollar that a particular state contributes to the fund, an amount comes back to that state, sometimes more than the original dollar and sometimes less depending on what Congress establishes as law. West Virginia, because of its rough terrain and political clout, has always received more per dollar back. "Congressman Rahall assured me that he will fight for the maximum amount coming back to the state, Browning said. Governor Underwood said that a "hold harmless" type bill has even been discussed among republican leaders, allowing all states to receive at least what they received under the 1991 ISTEA legislation, with some states receiving more dollars by adding an additional $6 billion to the trust fund.
"Based on discussions I have had with Congressman Rahall personally and with Senator Rockefeller's staff, I was very impressed with Governor Underwood's knowledge of the Expressway and what's going on in Congress concerning highways funding. He's right on top of this for West Virginia's benefit, and that's what we need," Browning added.
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