West Virginia (WOAY) – Governor Patrick Morrisey announced a significant overhaul of West Virginia’s transportation priorities and introduced his plan for repairing and preserving existing bridges and roads.
Morrisey’s administration is prioritizing what he says is financial mismanagement within the Department of Transportation.
In a press conference on Monday, the Governor stated that the Department of Transportation (DOT) has created excessive layers of management.
Morrisey cites that some divisions have as many as five assistant directors, a move his administration says is generating unnecessary bureaucracy while diverting funds from real maintenance work.
To address these issues and improve the management of bridges and roads, Governor Morrisey has directed the DOT to refocus its resources on long-overdue maintenance.
His solution includes reducing administrative overhead, investing savings in the state’s roads and bridges, protecting core maintenance funding to maintain long-term stability, offering greater transparency into ongoing projects, and making commitments based on available resources.
Governor Morrisey also announced that when he took office, there was virtually no Road to Prosperity funding available.
His administration claims that more than 97 percent of the Road to Prosperity funds were committed by the previous administration over seven years.
The bond will take 30 years to repay, and Morrissey’s administration says it is restructuring debt repayment to protect future infrastructure budgets.
Finally, the Governor pledged greater transparency in the Department, promising regular updates on project selection, finances, and timelines.
New bridge and road maintenance projects can be viewed here.
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