It will probably never rise to the level of “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”
But the inability to predict what the Division of Highways (DOH) is doing now and what it will do next derives from its incomprehensible mission.
And nowhere is that probably more true in District 4, one of the DOH’s 10 regional districts.
About a month ago, the Preston County Commission invited the other five county commissions in District 4 to meet on road conditions and what action they can take.
We applauded the idea then and still do and can envision it serving as a model for other counties in DOH districts.
However, we would encourage the commissioners to make every effort to understand the scope and challenges of these highway districts.
Take District 4 for instance. Few probably know that it covers only six counties, including Monongalia and Preston — but it has the most road miles of any district.
About 4,800 of which are paved and another nearly 1,200 more that are unpaved.
A road trip from Morgantown to Key West, Fla., is about 1,200 miles. That’s the equivalent of about how many road miles are under the DOH’s purview in Monongalia County alone.
Meanwhile, Preston County is geographically the state’s eighth-largest county, with another 1,200 road miles.
And it might figure that our region — overseen by District 4 — would unfortunately have one of the highest vacancy rates for employees, too.
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise either that many of those vacancies are truck drivers.
We’re unsure how, exactly, state Road Fund money is allotted, but if it’s based on road miles, District 4 should be rolling in it, but it’s clearly not.
It’s also clear that almost all paving and many repairs are seasonal in north-central West Virginia.
That is, when mid-November rolls around, most bets are off on paving and major repairs are limited, until April.
As with all improvement or maintenance projects District 4 faces the challenges of money, time and people.
All in all, the DOH oversees about 36,000 miles of roads. About 22,000 miles are paved, and less than half of those are eligible for federal funds. The rest falls to the state Road Fund.
For now, Doddridge, Monongalia and Taylor county commissioners will join Preston at this meeting April 30 on District 4.
Harrison, where District 4’s regional office is located, declined, while Marion has yet to respond.
We are encouraged that commissioners plan to reach a consensus — one voice — before taking their findings and ideas to the DOH.
But it’s also imperative these commissioners first understand what it is they hope to solve.
