WASHINGTON, D.C. —
Supporters of a major highway are optimistic that money can be found to complete a segment of the roadway in Mercer County.
A delegation from the King Coal Highway I-73/74 Authority traveled to the nation’s capitol this week to speak with West Virginia’s delegation about the possibilities of finding the funding necessary to complete some segments of the highway.
The King Coal Highway I-73/74 project is a corridor that would link Michigan with South Carolina. Southern West Virginia is a part of that highway system.
Mike Mitchem, the authority’s executive director, spoke with the Bluefield Daily Telegraph by phone while the delegation was returning from Washington, D.C. Its members met with U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va. and U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.
“We talked to them and we asked for close to $70 million for the King Coal Highway,” Mitchem said.
The funds would be used to complete a section of the highway from John Nash Boulevard to Route 123 near the Mercer County Airport. The delegation also requested $20 million for the King Coal Highway interchange in Welch, Mitchem said. Funding for sections in Mingo County were among the requests.
“It went really well,” Tom Hall, the authority’s president, said. However, finding the necessary funds will not be easy.
“It’s a very difficult environment to get funding for highways,” Hall said. “We exchanged some ideas and we’re going to try and come up with some more. They each expressed their support for our highway and recognized the need for the King Coal Highway I-73/74 in southern West Virginia.”
Creating a usable stretch of the highway in Mercer County is a big priority, Hall said. However, funding will not be immediately available. Federal funding is locked in place already for 2012 and 2013. The next major highway bill will go before Congress is 2014.
Hall said of the delegation’s latest visit was encouraging. Now the authority has to continue to keep the project in front of the state’s representatives in the nation’s capitol.
Completing a section of the highway in Mercer County would have economic benefits for the area, said Marc Meachum, president of the Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce.
“We know it’s a proven fact that commerce follows roads,” Meachum said. “You would have a interchange at Route 460 in Bluefield that I believe would increase the business potential for that area.”
“I’m elated that we have such good representatives that care about us and try to take care of us,” said Christine “Chris” West, the authority’s secretary.
West Virginia’s members of Congress and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin will continue to seeking ways to fund Mercer County’s section of the highway, West said.
Local News
September 23, 2012
King Coal Highway supporters optimistic about roadway’s future
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