West Virginia

Top Three Infrastructure Concerns:

1. Bridges
2. Roads
3. Drinking Water

Key Infrastructure Facts

• 39% of West Virginia’s bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
• There are 245 high hazard dams in West Virginia. A high hazard dam is defined as a dam whose failure would cause a loss of life and significant property damage.
• 30 of West Virginia’s 360 dams are in need of rehabilitation to meet applicable state dam safety standards.
• 8% of high hazard dams in West Virginia have no emergency action plan (EAP). An EAP is a predetermined plan of action to be taken including roles, responsibilities and procedures for surveillance, notification and evacuation to reduce the potential for loss of life and property damage in an area affected by a failure or mis-operation of a dam.
• West Virginia’s drinking water infrastructure needs an investment of $862 million over the next 20 years.
• West Virginia ranked 31^st in the quantity of hazardous waste produced and 32^nd in the total number of hazardous waste producers.
• West Virginia’s ports handled 79 million tons of waterborne traffic in 2005, ranking it 12^th in the nation.
• West Virginia reported an unmet need of $15.8 million for its state public outdoor recreation facilities and parkland acquisition.
• 37% of West Virginia’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition.
• Vehicle travel on West Virginia’s highways increased 33% from 1990 to 2007.
• West Virginia has $2.52 billion in wastewater infrastructure needs.

Sources

*Survey of the state’s ASCE members conducted in September 2008