CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice addressed dozens of transportation professionals, including engineers and state highways leaders, at the American Council of Engineering Companies of West Virginia (ACEC-WV) 2019 Joint Transportation Forum in Charleston on Thursday.
The ACEC-WV is a statewide organization representing the consulting engineering community in West Virginia. Forum attendees included contractors and consultants from the private sector as well as workers with the West Virginia Division of Highways.
During his remarks, the Governor discussed the significant increase in road work that has taken place through efforts like the Roads To Prosperity program and the Secondary Roads Maintenance Initiative.
“It’s been so good because all of the great work that you’re doing and all the great work that our Division of Highways is doing,” Gov. Justice said. “There’s a real moving of the needle going on in West Virginia.
“Are things moving absolutely the way we want? You’re dadgum right. Is there lots and lots more to be done? Sure. We’re really just getting started. There are more and more opportunities for you and there are more and more opportunities of goodness for our roads.”
Since March, when Gov. Justice directed the Division of Highways to make maintaining the state’s back roads its top priority, more than 20,000 miles-worth of maintenance work has occurred.
Additionally, last month marked the 2-year anniversary of the passage of the Governor’s Road Bond Referendum, also known as the Roads To Prosperity program. In that time, more than 500 major road projects have been completed, spanning more than 1,100 miles.
During his speech Thursday, Gov. Justice congratulated highways officials and engineers from across the region on their hard work repairing West Virginia’s infrastructure.
“The work that you’re doing – the work that you’ve been a part of – this will be a legacy of yours that will ripple through this state for decades and decades to come,” Gov. Justice said. “I don’t know how in the world you could be more proud than to be able to one day drive your grandkids around our roads and say, ‘I was a part of building that right there.’”