CHARLESTON, WV — Seven years ago, Gov. Jim Justice asked West Virginians to believe in his vision for transforming the state's infrastructure and approve a constitutional amendment allowing the largest bond sale in state history. The funds would be used to rebuild and maintain roads and bridges in every corner of the Mountain State.
Voters overwhelmingly answered the call, with 73 percent supporting the Governor's plan, giving rise to the $2.8 billion Roads to Prosperity program, the largest infrastructure investment West Virginia had ever seen.
Justice recently joined 1,320 West Virginia Department of Transportation workers to celebrate the success of this program. Each highway worker held a card representing one of the 1,320 projects made possible by Roads to Prosperity, highlighting the significant improvements made across the state's infrastructure.
“This is absolutely one of the most important days in West Virginia history," Justice said at the event. "We have accomplished things that nobody believed could have ever been possible. In fact, there were a lot of people that doubted this program. Despite the doubts, Toby and Edith made it known they were done being last, and they put their faith in the Roads to Prosperity program. We all believe in that vision now.
“I look behind me at the 1,320 incredible DOT folks that represent the total number of projects that were on the books for decades. I cannot thank the folks at our Department of Transportation enough for the unbelievable work they’ve done and that they will continue to do. Roads are being fixed in every corner of West Virginia. We’ve created tens of thousands of jobs, our tourism is skyrocketing, and people around the world are taking notice.
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"Roads to Prosperity started as a promise. I promised if West Virginians said yes on the bond vote that we'd do something that had never been done before. ... On this anniversary, I can say that we have delivered on that promise. Prosperity is here in West Virginia. We've planted the seeds for the future, and they will continue bringing prosperity for years to come. We are watching West Virginia become a powerhouse on the world stage, and we can thank Roads to Prosperity for laying the foundation."
Justice envisioned Roads to Prosperity as a way to create immediate jobs in West Virginia while addressing decades of underinvestment in the state's roads and bridges, spurring economic development across the Mountain State.
The program included major projects like the $224 million effort to replace or upgrade 26 bridges along Interstate 70 in Wheeling and the $254 million project to expand Interstate 64 to six lanes between Nitro and the U.S. 35 exit, which also replaced the Donald M. Legg Memorial Bridge with two new spans.
Roads to Prosperity also funded smaller bridge, paving, and slide repair projects in every county — many of which might have remained untouched for years without this initiative.
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To date, nearly all of the 1,320 Roads to Prosperity projects have been started or completed.
“When you talk about transportation in West Virginia, you are talking about the Roads to Prosperity program," said Jimmy Wriston, PE, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Transportation. "Our infrastructure was off track due to decades and decades of underinvesting. The bold vision of Gov. Justice changed that. His vision got us on the launch pad for the rocketship ride. None of that would have made any difference if it wasn’t for our DOT workers. We are all connected. That is the message the Governor instilled in us with his leadership. We are all pulling the rope together in the same direction, and our connections are much stronger. Gov. Justice’s Roads to Prosperity program has turned West Virginia around.”
