Governor Jim Justice (R-WV) has ceremonially signed SB 1002, allocating $150 million in supplemental funding for highway projects.
He also addressed travel plaza renovations updates along the West Virginia Turnpike.
“Think of how much that will absolutely promote West Virginia,” the governor said. “I think it’s like 77% of the traffic out here is from out of state. They’re all stopping out of travel plazas. And they’re all getting a real look at West Virginia.”
West Virginia Parkways Authority executive director Jeff Miller says we have 36 and a half million transactions on the West Virginia Turnpike every year. Eighty percent of those are out-of-state and commercial truck traffic. We’ve got to be able to provide a place for them to stop and rest, for their families to refuel and get a bite to eat.
“The glass houses of the 50s and 60s meant a lot to this area,” Miller said. “So when we had the opportunity to redesign these, with the assistance of our architect, HNTB and our contractor, Paramount Builders, we took a hard look at what would the people want and I think came up with a beautiful design.”
Miller added that the dramatic, beautiful canopy at the new Beckley Travel Plaza reaches across the building and will go on top of the fueling stations. They project a Thanksgiving opening for that and the Bluestone Travel Plaza.
According to West Virginia Department of Transportation Secretary Jimmy Wriston, in 2017 when Justice was elected he had a vision: put transportation at the forefront and that’s exactly what he’s done.
“We’ve worked hard. We’ve grown our economy. We’ve cut taxes time and time again. It’s a great day to be a West Virginian,” Wriston said. “See this really good investment that Jeff’s making with the Parkways Authority here on the rest areas – none of the general revenue funds will be going to that project.
The project they’ll be working on will be paving for the citizens of West Virginia on the secondary roadway.
“Being the leader that he (Justice) is, getting the consensus –once again, we’re going to have $150 million to pave West Virginia secondary roads,” said Wriston.
We’re spending more than $122 million on these plaza centers. It makes us better and travel guides are now saying things that he says no one would ever believe – West Virginia is the place to be.
“I’m here today in my own hometown that I spent my whole life growing up in,” said the governor. “Absolutely signing a bill as your governor for $150 million to continue this momentum and continue this wave that we’re all sitting on the top of and riding. And, boy, it is really fun. So let’s keep doing it.”
