David "Bugs" Stover is alternating his running shoes for a 130-mile trek from Welch to Gov. Joe Manchin’s office in Charleston, dramatizing southern West Virginia’s hopes to see the Coalfields Expressway come to reality.

Part of the dream was assured Friday, just as the Wyoming County circuit clerk arrived in Beckley during a cloudburst.

Back in his work base of Pineville, Delegate Richard Browning, D-Wyoming, announced that $58 million had been rounded up from a variety of sources to put down more asphalt.

About $20 million of that is going toward a 2-mile extension of the highway from Sophia, stretching it 4 miles beyond that Raleigh County town and leaving it within 6 miles of Mullens.

"It’s good news," said Browning, who has been battling highway officials over road projects in southern West Virginia.

Not only is a contract to be let sooner than anticipated for the additional 2 miles, Browning said, but three more designs will be drawn up for more construction.

Once completed, the road will cover 62 miles in West Virginia, running into Welch — where Stover departed on his journey this week — and be spread over another 52 miles in Virginia.

Browning said the $58 million came from funds left over in other projects, along with $16 million lassoed by Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, and Rep. Nick Rahall, all D-W.Va.

Come Monday, Browning and Stover plan to meet with Manchin.

"We’re going to sit down and try to stress to him the importance of the road situation in southern West Virginia," Browning said.

Browning has been at odds with Manchin’s highway division over the failure of a six-year plan to contain any projects in southern counties.

Last week, the Department of Transportation began what promises to be a lengthy series of talks in an interims panel on road financing.

The delegate was put off by what he perceived as an unfair method the consultants employed to assign road priorities, saying it gave the edge to other regions.
"We want to explain to the governor how important this road is and how badly we need it," Browning said of the Coalfields Expressway.

Stover did his part to drum up support, gathering more than 1,000 names on petitions on his winding march to the capital.

"I started this to bring some attention to the fact we obviously need the Coalfields Expressway to be built," a rain-soaked Stover explained in a stop Friday at The Register-Herald.

"And the second fact is that we are not even on the six-year plan."

Walking along the berm of various roads, Stover said he encountered no opposition along the way after lighting out Wednesday.

He has switched from Reebok to New Balance to let blisters heal.

Back when he was a more svelte 142 pounds, the 51-year-old clerk was nearly an everyday runner. He gave up jogging for some years but recently went back into training.

"I’ve been running since June just about every day," he said. "For a short, fat man, I’m in pretty good shape."

To complete his walk, Stover plans to take an old road that parallels the West Virginia Turnpike, since walking along the toll road isn’t legal. Each day, a friend fetches the walker and takes him home for the night.

"I hope to be in Charleston Sunday night," he said.

"If not, I have all day Monday to make up for it."