MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va. — West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R) says she is supportive of plans to extend Interstate 68 through Marshall County to the Ohio border, a project local officials have long considered a top priority for economic development.
“Well, as you know, I’m from Marshall County, and I’ve worked with the county commission there,” Capito said Thursday in a press conference attended by River News. “I know this has been number one on their list of what they think would really enhance development there, and I can’t dispute that, obviously, knowing that area very well.”
You can watch the full interview below:
Capito emphasized that expanding I-68 would be a “major investment” requiring state leadership and federal support. Capito emphasized that Governor Patrick Morrisey (R) needs to consider funding for the project.
“The governor really has to play into how he wants to use funding dollars in the best way. I am supportive of increasing and lengthening I-68 all the way through to the Ohio border. I think it would be a great way to open up that part of the state.”
Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
She noted that West Virginia still has other ongoing highway projects, including Corridor H and the Coalfields Expressway, but said the I-68 expansion remains a crucial priority for the growing region.
“I pledge to work with the governor and to try to get as much federal funding in as possible.”
Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
The proposal to extend I-68 has been under discussion for decades, with Marshall County leaders pushing it as a key to unlocking business, industry, and tourism opportunities in the Northern Panhandle.
I-68 currently runs about 113 miles from Morgantown, West Virginia where it begins at its junction with I-79, and goes eastbound to Hancock, Maryland, where it connects with I-70.
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