Office of the Governor > News > Press Releases > 2020 Press Releases > Gov. Justice awards over $2.6 million in Transportation Alternatives and Recreational Trails grants benefitting Eastern Panhandle and Wood County

Gov. Justice awards over $2.6 million in Transportation Alternatives and Recreational Trails grants benefitting Eastern Panhandle and Wood County

10/30/2020

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​CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice held a virtual ceremony today to award over $2.3 million in Transportation Alternatives and Recreational Trails Program (TARTP) grants for seven projects in cities and towns across West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, and to award $300,000 in TARTP grants for three additional projects in communities across Wood County. The 10 grants awarded are worth a combined total of $2,686,639 and include projects in five counties. “I am excited to announce that we are giving out yet another round of these grants today,” Gov. Justice said. “They end up making our cities and towns a lot more presentable and they make our rail trails more accessible to all West Virginians. But, in addition to all that, they draw tourism. They draw goodness to West Virginia. “You don’t ever know what’s going to happen with all that goodness,” Gov. Justice continued. “And the result of that goodness may be that somebody moves; somebody moves a business here or somebody moves themselves here. And the end of the day, it’s all kinds of great stuff.”

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West Virginia TARTP grants help towns and cities build and improve sidewalks, lighting, trails, and more. The program is administered by the West Virginia Department of Transportation and funded by the Federal Highway Administration. “Governor, I want to thank you and your office for this grant funding,” said Doug Copenhaver, President of the Berkeley County Council, which received one of today’s TARTP grants in support of the Martinsburg Roundhouse. “It’s going to go a long way and make this roundhouse a very active civic area for us to start building on.

“The Roundhouse Authority has been working on trying to restore the roundhouse for probably 20 to 30 years,” Copenhaver continued. “This is another extension of putting elevators and stairs going to the second floor of the bridge shop, adding concrete floor where there’s always been a gravel floor for years, and starting to using this place as an event center, right in the core part of downtown Martinsburg.” The grants announced today are among the most recent wave of TARTP grants to be awarded this year, which includes a total of 47 grants, worth over $8.6 million, for projects in 29 counties throughout West Virginia. This week, Gov. Justice has awarded millions of dollars-worth of these TARTP grants in several regions across the state, including: North Central West Virginia: $2.5 million for 12 projects Metro Valley: $1.6 million for 12 projects Northern Panhandle: $450,000 for four projects Southern Coalfields: $389,000 for five projects Earlier this year, Gov. Justice presented another round of 38 TARTP grants, worth over $7.4 million, for additional projects in 27 counties. In total, Gov. Justice has awarded over $16 million TARTP grants this year alone to communities all across West Virginia.

The projects awarded today include: BERKELEY COUNTY Berkeley County Roundhouse Authority $742,889 Martinsburg Roundhouse Project: Construction of Martinsburg Roundhouse and Machine Shop ADA bathrooms and fire suppression system. City of Martinsburg $100,000 Martinsburg North Queen Street Streetscape Project Phase 3: Design of approximately 1,675 linear feet of ADA compliant sidewalks, curb ramps, and lighting on North Queen Street. HAMPSHIRE COUNTY Town of Romney $100,000 Romney North High Street Sidewalk Improvements Project: Design of sidewalk replacement in downtown Romney. JEFFERSON COUNTY City of Charles Town $700,000 Charles Town Augustine Trail Project Phase 2: Construction of approximately 1.1 miles of hiking/biking trail facilities. Corporation of Shepherdstown $500,000 Shepherdstown Path Project: Construction of approximately 0.5 miles of walking path along the west side of Route 480 in Shepherdstown. MORGAN COUNTY Town of Bath $93,750 Bath Streetscape Design 2 Project: Design of ADA compliant sidewalks on the east side of South Washington Street and Wilkes Street. Cacapon Resort State Park Foundation $150,000 Cacapon State Park Mountain Bike Uphill Trail To Mountain Top Project: Construction of approximately five miles of bike trail within Cacapon State Park. WOOD COUNTY City of Parkersburg $100,000 Parkersburg St. Mary’s/Dudley Ave. Streetscape Enhancement Project: Design of streetscape enhancement on the St. Mary's/Dudley Avenue Corridor. City of Pennsboro $100,000 Pennsboro Sidewalk Improvements Project Phase 2: Construction of approximately 1,000 linear feet of sidewalk along Mountain Drive. City of Williamstown $100,000 Williamstown Sidewalk Improvements Project Phase 3: Design and construction of replacement sidewalks along the street surrounding the new Williamstown Elementary School.

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