MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va. – Marshall County Commission President Scott Varner amplified the push to build I-68 west from Morgantown to the Ohio border, pointing out in a River News interview that West Virginia Governor Cecil Underwood indicated it was a state priority back in 1997.
You can listen to the full interview below:
Now, more than 25 years after West Virginia leaders first stressed the road’s importance, the long-discussed extension of Interstate 68 from Morgantown to the Ohio River is once again in the spotlight with Senator Shelley Moore Capito saying in an interview covered by River News last week.
WATCH: Senator Capito Supports Extending I-68 to the Ohio Border
Bonner says the project remains far from reality without federal backing.
“I first heard about the idea as a teenager. When I was elected to the legislature in 1992, I tried to figure out what we needed to do to promote the highway. In 1997, Speaker Bob Kiss and I met with Senator Robert Byrd, and Governor Cecil Underwood was also behind it. We even created the Route 2 / I-68 Authority to show it was a priority.”
Marshall County Commission President Scott Varner
Governor Underwood ceremonially signed the legislation in Wheeling that year, and lawmakers hoped the move would pave the way for funding. Since then, improvements have been made to Route 2 along the Ohio River, but I-68 itself has seen little advancement west of Morgantown.
Bonner said extending the interstate could transform the region’s economy by providing a shorter, more direct east-west route than the existing I-70 and I-79 connections.
“It really helps with economic development, number one. And number two, it opens up the whole area from Morgantown to the Ohio River.”
Marshall County Commission President Scott Varner
Bonner hopes for the federal government to take action on moving the I-68 extension forward, but acknowledges that it still could take many years to see progress:
“I’ll probably be dead when this highway gets built. But there has to be a starting point, and hopefully over time we can get some movement.”
Marshall County Commission President Scott Varner
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