Pleasing Meeting: Coalfields Expressway Group Satisfied With Trip to Nation's Capital

A delegation from the coalfields visited with congressional leaders Wednesday in Washington , D.C. , to make a progress report and at the same time, remind the leaders that work on the Coalfields Expressway isn't over.

Del. Richard Browning, executive director of the Coalfields Expressway Authority led the delegation that included nine of his bard members, the Economic Development Authority directors of McDowell and Wyoming Counties and McDowell County Commission president Gordon Lambert. The group met with U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., and his staff; U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., and his staff; as well as the staff of U.S. Senator John D. “Jay” Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va.

“We won't know how successful we were until we receive some funding but we feel pretty good about it.”

Browning said that Byrd and Rahall seemed especially impressed by the photos of the first leg of the expressway in Raleigh County near Sophia. “It's a wonderful section of highway,” Browning said of the four mile stretch of road from near Sophia to Slabfork Road . “There is another section that is paid for and two more contracts to be let for bids this year, but then our funding is gone.”

Lambert said that there is a great demand on federal funding right now because of the war in Iraq and the on-going post-Katrina recovery work on the Gulf coast. “Senator Byrd and Congressman Rahall seem to think they can shake some (federal funding) loose.

“Senator Byrd told us he's working on it, he feels confident and that everything will be fine,” Lambert said. Lambert said that Byrd is also working on the federal prison at the Indian Ridge Industrial Park in Welch and said he hopes Byrd can visit the area soon and tour the completed portion of the Coalfields Expressway, the prison site and the restored Kimball War Memorial that Byrd was instrumental in funding.

“We were well pleased with the meetings we had in Washington ,” Lambert said.

“We thought the meetings were very productive,” Browning said. “Those pictures of the expressway in Raleigh County told the whole story. My board was very well pleased with the meetings.”

The Coalfields Expressway originates in Beckley and will continue 65 miles through southern West Virginia and travel through southwestern Virginia to ultimately connect with U.S. Route 58.