State of emergency declared on area roads

Commissioners plan to invite state officials to visit and see local road conditions for themselves

NEW CUMBERLAND -- Hancock County officials feel more needs to be done to maintain area roads, and the county commission took action Thursday in the hopes of getting the attention of individuals in Charleston in charge of the situation.

During Thursday's meeting, commissioners unanimously approved issuing a state of emergency proclamation, declaring "the condition of primary and secondary roads in Hancock County, West Virginia has hazardous and unsafe."

The proclamation continues to read, "the current disregard for repairs has created decrepit roads that are continualy posing threats to the safety, well-being and property of the citizens and first responders of Hancock County."

The state of emergency is to remain in place until "the funds from the 'Roads to Prosperity' levy…are used for the immediate and necessary repairs to county roads."

"As commissioners, we have done everything we can," Commission President Joe Barnabei said after reading the declaration. "I think the public needs to know where we stand."

Commissioner Paul Cowey requested a copy of the declaration also be sent to Gov. Jim Justice, state Department of Transportation Secretary Byrd White III and Acting Division of Highways Commissioner Jimmy Wriston.

Acknowledging local legislators also have been reaching out to state officials with little success, Commissioner Jeff Davis said the message hasn't appeared to be getting through as of yet.

"It seems to be falling on deaf ears," Davis said, noting he hopes officials from the state do reach out to the commission. "Our citizens deserve better than this."

Commissioners said they would like to invite state officials to visit Hancock County in order for them to see the condition of the local roads firsthand.

During their May 9 meeting, commissioners noted around 25 road maintenance projects had been identified in Hancock County by the DOH, with 11 set for ditch work, eight for mowing and others involving some patching. The list was drafted by the DOH, with no input from the commission, they said.

The Roads to Prosperity program was enacted in October 2017 after West Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment giving the state Legislature authority to sell up to $1.6 billion in general obligation bonds for major road and bridge projects across the state.

In January, Justice discussed the possibility of also using some of the Roads to Prosperity funding for secondary road repairs and maintenance, ordering DOH officials to identify and prioritize projects in each of their regions. Hancock County initially had a list of 101 projects, with 91 identified in Brooke County.

(Howell can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com, and followed via Twitter @CHowellWDT)