“We’re going to have to start getting private industry involved,” said Sen. Daniel Hall, R-Wyoming.
The Majority Whip told the Gazette-Mail he believes some road maintenance work needs to be subcontracted out because the state Division of Highways has proven to be incapable of getting the job done.
“I think we’re in a situation now where [the Division of] Highways does not have capacity and ability to fix the roads,” he said, adding that even if the agency had an unlimited budget he doubts they would be able to adequately address residents’ needs.
If that is in fact the case, Hall said an aggressive solution is necessary.
“Highways works four days a week right now,” he said. “We could contract a lot of this stuff out and we could be doing double duty.”
Hall’s idea of subcontracting work comes shortly after he debuted a website — fixtheroadswv.com — that is solely focused on the road repair issue.
After receiving hundreds of complaints in recent weeks from constituents via social media, email and phone calls, Hall last week launched the website, which allows people to call attention to a specific road issue.
“I’ve been getting so many phone calls, emails and Facebook messages, I’m having a hard time keeping track,” he said.
Hall said the website, which asks for personal identifying information as well as an explanation of a given road problem, provides a convenient way to keep track of the complaints and see their status.
“In some ways it’s therapeutic,” he said. “They get to complain to someone who should do something about it.”
Since the website was launched, Hall said he has received hundreds of complaints and largely positive feedback.
But critics have pointed out that constituents can already lodge their complaints directly with the state Division of Highways.
“I would argue that they’re not acting on them or checking on them,” he said.
While some believe the state’s consistent road troubles comes down to lack of funding, Hall said that’s not necessarily the case.
The Majority Whip said the highways budget already has enough money to fix potholes, road slips and remove boulders but the reason they don’t get done in a timely fashion is due a culture of inefficiency that exists in the Division of Highways.
Admitting that no one specific actor in the agency is to blame, Hall said he has talked to several highways employees who have told him that they have no direction or leadership.
“For whatever reason the West Virginia Division of Highways is not doing its job,” he said. “Not only are main roads not being maintained, secondary roads aren’t even being touched.”
The Republican was one of several lawmakers who helped pass legislation during the 2015 Legislative session that will require an audit of the Division of Highways. The audit is expected to be completed later this year and shared with the Legislature when they reconvene in January.
Hall said he plans to hand deliver the complaints he receives through the website sometime in near future.
©2015 The Charleston Gazette (Charleston, W.Va.), Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
