Wheeling, W.Va. — A new report released by the national transportation research group TRIP reveals troubling conditions across West Virginia’s transportation infrastructure, highlighting major concerns with both road quality and bridge safety.
According to the study, nearly one-third of West Virginia’s heavily traveled roads are rated as being in poor or mediocre condition. Additionally, the state tops the nation in the percentage of bridges considered “structurally deficient” or in poor shape.
In the Wheeling region, the situation is especially costly for drivers. The report estimates that motorists are paying close to $500 each year in additional vehicle maintenance due to deteriorating road surfaces.
While the state has made notable strides in securing funding to address these issues, challenges remain. Initiatives such as the 2017 Roads to Prosperity program increased road and bridge investment by 67%, and the 2021 federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law contributed an extra $3.6 billion in infrastructure funds.
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Still, rising costs have dampened the impact of this funding. “Since early 2022, highway construction costs have surged by 45%,” said Rocky Moretti, Director of Policy and Research at TRIP. “That inflation has significantly reduced the purchasing power of the new investments.”
Compounding the concerns, the report also places West Virginia fifth in the nation for traffic fatalities, with non-interstate rural roads seeing fatality rates twice as high as other roadways.
Officials and advocates continue to stress the urgent need for more efficient investment strategies and long-term planning to reverse the declining state of the Mountain State’s roads and bridges .