The following is an excerpt from Bill Byrd's article on Governor Manchin and the state's budget outlook.
o o o o o o
As he has since he presented his first budget in 2005, the governor has presented two multi-year projections on future spending and revenue projections.
In the Budget Planning section, the administration bluntly states that funds for the state Division of Highways are “inadequate” to maintaining a “safe and efficient highway system.”
At a minimum, the DOH needs an additional $160 million every year just to maintain the present system.
“The cost of replacing all state-maintained bridges that are over 60 years old is over $2.5 billion. Over $100 million in highway slips and slides have been identified, and an additional $100 million in paving is needed annually,” the report states.
Of the more than $25 billion in new construction, “most of those projects will never be constructed.”
