PARSONS, W.Va. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, traveled to Parsons, W.Va. where she hosted Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Administrator Shailen Bhatt to see completed and ongoing construction projects on Corridor H, the last remaining section of the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) in West Virginia. While driving on Corridor H with West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) Secretary Jimmy Wriston, Senator Capito and Administrator Bhatt toured newly completed elements of the highway, bridge construction efforts, and excavation underway for future projects aimed at completing Corridor H.
“West Virginians across the state know how important completing Corridor H is, and as Ranking Member of the Senate EPW Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I have made securing federal resources for the highway a top priority. I invited Administrator Bhatt to West Virginia to see firsthand why Corridor H is vital to our state’s economic future, as well as the unique challenges our state’s topography presents in building new roads. I will continue working to secure federal funding and improve the permitting and environmental review process so that we can finish Corridor H,” Ranking Member Capito said.
“I’m excited to join Ranking Member Capito today for a tour of Corridor H to get a firsthand look at this critical project and the surrounding communities that will benefit from improved connectivity, mobility and economic opportunities,” Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said. “Investing in rural America is a top priority for the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Federal Highway Administration is working closely with the West Virginia Department of Transportation on Corridor H, including overseeing active construction underway on the Kerens to Parsons segment, which includes $603 million in Federal funding. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners in West Virginia to advance this important project.”
BACKGROUND:
Senator Capito has secured funding through multiple sources for Corridor H including:
As Ranking Member of the Senate EPW Committee, Senator Capito fought to secure resources for federal formula programs that provide flexible funding to state departments of transportation. The five-year Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act, which was written by the EPW Committee and became law as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), provides West Virginia with over $3 billion in transportation formula funding from 2022 to 2026. Since 2022, West Virginia has obligated over $202 million of these federal formula dollars to Corridor H.
Through a supplemental appropriation included in the IIJA, West Virginia ADHS projects received $37 million in 2022, $40 million in 2023, and $41 million in 2024, with similar funding amounts to be released for 2025 and 2026. Senator Capito has also worked to include $15 million for West Virginia ADHS projects including Corridor H in the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies government funding legislation each year since 2020.
In June of this year, Ranking Member Capito spoke with Administrator Bhatt regarding delays to Corridor H’s construction and designation as a “major project.” Ranking Member Capito’s questioning is available here.
Photos from today’s event are included below:
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) tours Corridor H with FHWA Administrator Bhatt in Parsons, W.Va. on Tuesday, August 13, 2024.
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) pictured at Corridor H with FHWA Administrator Bhatt and other local officials in Parsons, W.Va. on Tuesday, August 13, 2024.
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