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December 22, 1997
The Coalfields Expressway Authority met at 10:00 AM on Monday, Dec. 22, 1997 for its regular monthly meeting
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The Coalfields Expressway Authority met at 10:00 AM on Monday, Dec. 22, 1997, for its regular monthly meeting.
Chairman D. Michael Goode opened the meeting and then turned the meeting over to Richard Browning, Executive Director of the Coalfields Expressway Authority.
Browning reported to the members of the Authority that he had contacted Wyoming Insurance Associates for insurance coverage through the State Board of Risk and Insurance Management.
Browning presented to the members a document from the West Virginia Division of Highways showing that WVWVDOH will begin public meetings/hearings in January, 1998, in order to gain input from citizens and other interested parties in determining the exact routing of the Coalfields Expressway. The document also projects that the final Environmental Impact Statement will be completed in May, 1998, and by July, 1998, a record of decision is anticipated. The anticipated date of the construction phase is set to begin in 1999.
Browning stated that he is in the process of meeting with the Economic Development Authorities and County Commissions of Raleigh, Wyoming, and McDowell Counties to encourage them to begin determining the best route of the Coalfields Expressway through their respective counties. At this time, four routes are being considered by WVWVDOH.
Browning also reported to the members that he has been in contact with Congressman Nick Rahall's office concerning economic development along the Expressway. Congressman Rahall is encouraging the Division of Highways to develop industrial sites along the highway during its construction. The sites can be constructed at minimal cost during the construction phase of the highway.
Browning reported that Congressman Rahall's office furnished him with documentation concerning the Highways Trust Fund. According to the report from the Congressional Budget Office, the fund will have a $14.3 Billion surplus at the end of 1997. The cost of constructing the Coalfields Expressway varies between $1 and $1.5 billion, depending on which route is chosen, according to WVWVDOH. Ninety percent of the funding for the Highways Trust Fund comes from an 18.4 cent excise tax on every gallon of motor fuel sold in the United States. Other sources of money for the fund include a sales tax on tires and tread rubber, a use tax on heavy vehicles, and a sales tax on large trucks and trailers. Part of the tax goes into the general fund for deficit reduction. Part of the fund has to be used for mass transit systems in the United States.
Browning also reported that Dr. John Carrier, President of West Virginia University Institute of Technology, is working with him in developing a video presentation for the Coalfields Expressway. Browning is also working with Dr. Carrier in producing a commercially made brochure promoting the highway.
The next meeting of the Coalfields Expressway Authority will be at 10:00 AM on January 22, 1998, at the Coalfields Expressway Offices in Pineville, WV.
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