Congress is about to get a letter
on the importance of completing Corridor H. The Robert C. Byrd Corridor H
Authority met last week and passed a resolution which they have sent on to the
House and Senate.
“We’re calling on Congress to
please get through their stalled negotiations on a transportation bill and pass
a six-year funding bill so that states, West Virginia and every other state,
can plan their transportation infrastructure improvements,” authority member
Robbie Morris explained
Congress is balking at passing
long-term funding for the federal Transportation Trust Fund. They’re leaning
towards supplementing the fund for another 10 months. Morris said that is not
what is best for Corridor H or thousands of other transportation projects
currently on hold because of the funding delay. He’s hoping the resolution will
show the need for action.
“This is just another means to
relay our wishes that the transportation funding bill be completed so that we
can get Corridor H and a lot of other transportation infrastructure in the
state done. It’s difficult to do when you don’t know how much money you have to
play with,” stressed Morris.
Construction on Corridor H got
started back in the 1960s. As of the end of this year, the four-lane from I-79
in Weston to the Virginia
Morris said as long as Congress
continues to work on a year to year basis, there will not be enough federal
funds available to complete the corridor by 2020.
“We’re trying to gain some of the
ground that we lost in the past few year. We’re doing that. We just need to
keep the pressure on,” according to Morris.
That means more than just sending a resolution. Morris said they
are keeping in close contact with state Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox
and federal Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. They’re also urging West Virginia
