W.Va. pays $40 million more than last year but is fixing 200 miles less due to escalating gas costs
The state Division of Highways is spending more money this summer to pave fewer miles of highway than last year. The division plans to pave about 1,000 miles of road in the coming months, down from about 1,200 miles finished during the warm season last year. But the agency has budgeted $130 million in state funds, up from $90 million spent last year, and another $27 million in federal dollars - the same as last year - for the road work.
Only about 3 percent of the 34,000 miles of state-managed roadways are going to be repaved.
Brent Walker, spokesman for the Division of Highways, said gas prices are to blame for the reduced paving schedule. When they rise, the cost of asphalt increases. "We're still committed to the program," Walker said. "But with gas costs, we're paving fewer roads."
A barrel of oil is selling right now for more than $138, which is an all time high. But the price is constantly going up. A ton of asphalt is going for $75 to $80 a ton, according to Pat Parsons, executive director of the Asphalt Association of West Virginia. That's up 18 percent from last summer, he said.
Skyrocketing gasoline and diesel prices also are having an effect on the equipment being used for paving. The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas was $4.05 today in West Virginia. The average cost for diesel is $4.80.
About $50 million of this year's paving money was allocated after the Legislature shifted some programs paid for out of the state Road Fund to other funding sources, including the Courtesy Patrol and the State Police.
Last year, the Legislature also renewed a nickel-per-gallon gasoline tax, which puts more than $50 million into the Road Fund each year.
The paving season began in April and will last until November.
Deputy Highway Engineer John Walker said the planned paving projects could be adjusted each week to compensate for gas prices that continue to escalate. "We bid our projects each week," Walker said. "If we see prices of asphalt go up, we'll adjust the number of projects so we can stay within the budget."
The city of Charleston has not finalized its own paving plans yet. City Manager David Molgaard said city engineers would be putting paving contracts out for bid next week. The results should come in by the end of June, he said.
