Keep WV Moving Statewide Education Campaign

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Keep WV MovingStatewide EducationCampaign
Mike Clowser February 6, 2007
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Coalition

• Statewide Coalition approaching 200 partners
• West Virginia Chamber of Commerce
• West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association
• Vision Shared
• West Virginia Association of CVBs
• West Virginia Municipal League
• Home Builders Association of W.Va.
• West Virginia Bankers Association
• West Virginia Manufacturers Association
• West Virginia Roundtable
• West Virginia Association of Counties
• Local chambers, CVBs, etc.
• Individual companies and firms
• and many others to come

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Transportation Issues

• Substandard roads
• Structurally deficient bridges
• Crowded regional highways
• Stagnant funds
• Paving backlog
• High highway fatality rate

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Transportation Facts

• West Virginias highways, roads and bridges
  are facing serious challenges with limited
  resources
• Nearly 30 percent of West Virginias roads are in
  substandard condition.
• More than one-third of bridges are
• structurally deficient or functionally
  obsolete.
• The state Department of Transportation has
• identified 170 major transportation projects
  
• around that state that have a price tag
• of 20 billion.
• Paving has dropped 50 percent in the past 5 years
• West Virginias highway fatality rate is 50
  percent above the national average

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Transportation Facts

• West Virginia is one of four states
  responsible for all roads, bridges and highways
• West Virginia has the sixth largest road and
  highway system in the nation
• Price hikes for materials, goods escalating
• Current funding levels are inadequate

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Transportation Funding

• Funding levels lagging, even with recent 4.5-cent
  increase
• Current funding total 1 billion a year
• Gasoline taxes
• Automobile privilege taxes
• Drivers license fees
• Federal highway funds

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Transportation Positives

• Greatly improved and expanded system
• ? Vehicle miles of travel in West Virginia
  increased 79 percent between 1980 and 2000,
  increasing from 11 billion to 19 billion miles
• ? Travel on West Virginias Interstate highways
  is expected to increase by 67
  percent by the year 2026

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Transportation Needs

• W.Va. DOH has stated it needs 350 million
  more a year for maintenance and construction
• List of transportation projects/needs surpasses
  20 billion (in todays dollars)
• Long-term plan needed

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The Campaign

• Statewide education campaign focused on West
  Virginias transportation condition and needs
• Roads
• Bridges
• Highways

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Campaign Objectives

• Build a coordinated, statewide coalition of
  interested groups and individuals as part of
  educating key audiences about the states
  transportation system and its future challenges.
• Generate media coverage of the states
  transportation system and challenges gain
  editorial support.

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Objectives (cont)

• 3. Foster public awareness of the state
  transportation systems ability to meet current
  and future needs with a goal of marshalling
  interest in a statewide plan of action.
• 4. Galvanize public opinion in appreciation of
  measures needed to maintain (on a continuing and
  long-term basis) a safe and modern transportation
  infrastructure that meets the growth trends of
  West Virginia.

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Objectives (cont)

• 5. Focus education efforts and collaboration
  efforts on state leaders and legislators

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Campaign Focus

• Status of states transportation system
• Highways, roads and bridges
• Transportation funding sources and levels
• Socio-economic benefits
• Business development and retention
• Tourism
• Safety and consumer savings
• Direct and indirect jobs/employment
• Emergency response

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Campaign Focus (cont)

• Magnitude of states transportation needs
• Now and in the future

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Campaign Comments

• We applaud the efforts of West Virginians for
  Better Transportation to make the public aware of
  the problem. And lets face it there is a
  problem. There is simply not enough money to
  address highway needs.
• Editorial, The Beckley Register-Herald, August
  25, 2006
• Im excited theres a group out there that is
  going to attempt to educate the public. Let the
  public debate and decide what level of highway
  program they want to fund.'
• Paul Mattox, Secretary, West Virginia Department
  of Transportation
• Its a challenge to get the public involved in
  issues. You see it too often. It takes a crisis
  to get people engaged. Weve also seen that often
  when the crisis hits, its too late.
• Senator Evan Jenkins, Vice Chairman of the
  Senate Transportation and Infrastructure
  Committee
• Transportation is vital to the economy of West
  Virginia. Highways equal jobs. If you dont
  support transportation, you dont support jobs.
• Brenda Harper, Vice President, West Virginia
  Chamber of Commerce

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Open Questions

• Statewide dialogue
• How should state and community leaders respond?
• What amount of funding should be provided to
  transportation? From where?
• What will be the long-term answers?

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Add Your Support

• West Virginians for Better Transportation
• P.O. Box 11830
• Charleston, WV 25339-1830
• [phone] (345-ROAD)
• For more information or to sign-up
• www.keepwvmoving.org