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Rahall Announces $276K for Southern West Virginia Scenic Byways

U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) announced Friday that $276,220 has been awarded to the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) from the Federal Highway Administration for the improvement and promotion of National Scenic Byways in southern West Virginia.

"Whether it is a highway, byway, backway, or trail, these projects are helping visitors discover some of southern West Virginia's greatest treasures," said Rahall. "This funding will help create new opportunities to promote the beauty and rich history of our state and share them with residents and visitors to our communities."

The WVDOT funding includes:

•    $157,196 to launch a Volunteer Ambassador Program and create a corridor management plan for the Midland Trail National Scenic Byway (U.S. Route 60), which covers more than 180 miles from Charleston, through Fayette and Greenbrier Counties, to the Virginia border.
•    $80,000 to create a corridor management plan for the Highland Scenic Highway, located on the Monongahela National Forest in southeast West Virginia, through Nicholas, Greenbrier, and Pocahontas Counties. 
•    $32,000 to create a corridor management plan for the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, which runs across West Virginia beginning in Pocahontas County, and to update the Turnpike’s Byway Museum in Beverly.
•    $7,024 to develop and print new visitor information and maps for the Mountain Parkway Byway-Backway, located in Webster County. 

"These beautiful byways are proof positive that transportation, technological innovation, and tourism comprise a winning combination that can jump start local economies and ignite economic renewal," said Rahall. "By promoting the scenic vistas, the rich heritage, and wide range of outdoor activities that southern West Virginia has to offer, these byways are working to create jobs, attract business, and enhance the economic development of our communities."

As Vice Chairman and long-time member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Rahall has helped craft every Federal Highway Bill since coming to Congress and is one of the framers of the National Scenic Byways Program.