Capito Joins Transportation Secretary Chao for Corridor H Investment Announcement

 
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, yesterday hosted U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao in West Virginia to learn more about the state’s infrastructure challenges and opportunities. Senator Capito and Secretary Chao also spoke at the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner, which Senator Capito invited the secretary to keynote.
 
At the dinner, Senator Capito joined Secretary Chao in announcing a $100 million grant that will support the construction of Corridor H. The funding—awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects (NSFLTP) program to the West Virginia Department of Transportation’s Division of Highways—will specifically go toward the completion of an interchange at the junction of Corridor H and WV-72, along with 4.6 miles of roadway and a bridge spanning Cheat River. The senator first notified West Virginians about the grant on Friday when the details were initially made public.
 
“Completing Corridor H will significantly benefit West Virginia in so many important ways—from improving safety for families and individuals and making it easier for residents and visitors get across our state to driving economic growth, development, and investment,” Senator Capito said. “I’ve made this project a top priority for years and have worked directly with Secretary Chao and other leaders to secure the funding to make it happen, which is why I’m even more excited to join her to announce it today. I will continue working with the administrator, our local and state officials here at home, and leaders from the private sector to advance projects like Corridor H that have the potential to make a big and positive difference in West Virginia.”
 
“The Department has awarded $100 million to West Virginia for the Appalachian Development Highway System, to construct the WV-72 and US-219 interchange near Hambleton, including the Cheat River Bridge in the Monongahela National Forest,” Secretary Chao said.
 
Capito efforts in support of the $100 million grant:
 

• As a member of the Senate EPW Committee, Senator Capito worked to pass a five-year highway bill in 2015 known as the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. The bill included language creating the new NSFLTP grant program to support the construction of significant transportation projects on federal lands.

• Senator Capito voted for the FAST Act, which ultimately passed and was signed into law in December 2015.

• As a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, Senator Capito helped to secure an appropriation for the NSFLTP program—the source of funding for the Corridor H NSFLTP grant.

• In December 2018, Senator Capito sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao expressing support for the state’s application to fund the Corridor H project.

• As chair of the Senate EPW Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Senator Capito met with Federal Highway Administration Administrator Nicole Nason and requested $100 million for the Corridor H project from the NSFLTP program.

• On February 14, 2019, Senator Capito met with Secretary Chao, identified Corridor H as a high-priority project, and personally asked the secretary to award the $100 million grant to aid in construction.

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