AASHTO Journal - West Virginia Updates to Infrastructure Hub Website

At a recent press event, Governor Jim Justice (R) (above) touted “significant upgrades” made to the West Virginia Infrastructure Hub website; an online tool established by the state to connect local communities with federal funding opportunities.

[Above photo by the West Virginia Governor’s Office]

The West Virginia Infrastructure Hub is specifically designed to help distribute funds made available by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA statewide.

One of the recent upgrades to that website is an “Investment Dashboard” that allows users to explore infrastructure projects across the state in detail. This interactive feature also allows users to view funded projects through an interactive map and explore them by category as well as help local communities gain insights into successful projects so they can tailor their own federal grant applications more effectively.

Since 2017, the governor said his administration has invested over $13.4 billion in West Virginia’s infrastructure, creating thousands of jobs. That commitment is further demonstrated by the continued development of the West Virginia Infrastructure Hub, promoting informed grant applications and propelling the state’s infrastructure progress, the governor added.

“Our West Virginia Infrastructure Hub with its new Investment Dashboard empowers West Virginia communities to strategically pursue federal funding, and see where dollars are being invested, ensuring no corner of West Virginia is left behind as we build a brighter future, together,” he said in a statement. “We’re building a stronger foundation for generations to come, and the West Virginia Infrastructure Hub is a key tool in achieving this goal.”

Along those same lines, at a press briefing in November 2023, the governor and the West Virginia Department of Transportation highlighted the number of roadway projects completed via the $2.8 billion “Roads to Prosperity” passed by the state legislature in 2017.

At that briefing, Gov. Justice and WVDOT noted that out of the 1,263 bridge and highway projects undertaken through the “Roads to Prosperity” program, roughly 1,200 are now complete – with WVDOT also paving approximately 9,000 miles of road, more than at any time in the state’s history, over the last six years via that program.

In addition to “Roads to Prosperity” – funded largely by bond sales – Gov. Justice and WVDOT Secretary Jimmy Wriston said they convinced the state legislature to grant several supplemental budget appropriations to WVDOT; giving the agency additional money each year to address rural roads. Without the extra money, it would be difficult for the WVDOT to address those routes, the governor said.