No roadwork ahead while legislation just keeps getting all wet

We’re starting to wonder who or what will stop the rain.
It’s not enough that it seems like it’s been raining for as long as we can remember.
A system moving into our region today will bring a lot more rain stretching through Thursday.
Aside from residents who live near swollen streams keeping an eye out this deluge it also poses hazards along our roads. Standing water, submerged potholes, crumbling asphalt, slips and slides and the occasional 10-ton boulder are playing havoc with our roads.
Meanwhile, in the Legislature it looks like our infrastructure needs have once again been parked in the slow lane.
Yes, we know they have 2,258 bills on their plate as of Tuesday, about 58 of which are related to roads and transportation. Those 58 bills break down to 36 originating in the House of Delegates and 22 in the state Senate on the 35th day of the legislative session.
That day was special because it represented the last day to introduce bills in the House. (Thank goodness.) The cutoff for introducing bills in the Senate is Monday.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of those road and transportation bills — as in about 45 of them — are still in the committees they were initially assigned to in their houses of origin. In both chambers that would be the transportation and infrastructure committees.
Sen. Randy Smith’s, R-Tucker, SB 315, that would create a Special Road Repair Fund for the maintenance and repair of roads and highways appears to have stalled.
Delegate John Williams’, D-Monongalia, HB 4120, to require the commissioner of highways to develop a formula for allocating road funds among districts, has advanced out of one committee only to be idled in another.
Only Delegate Amy Summers’, R-Taylor, HB 4017, that would establish a website for the public to search ongoing expenditures and locations for state and public road work has advanced out of its house of origin on a 99-0 vote.
However, it has languished in a Senate committee now for three weeks.
We’re willing to bet that the overwhelming majority of complaints these lawmakers’ constituents have are related to our failing roads. No. 1.
Yet, efforts to improve our roads continue to get bogged down in committee inaction despite the bipartisan nature of this subject.
One audit recently showed Division of Highways’ districts spending below the required 70% of their budgets for road maintenance.
Other reports point to wide discrepancies in how funding is distributed to districts and there not even being a formula to equitably apportion these funds.
Though there have been some road improvements under this administration no one can justify resting on any laurels.
Indeed, this is no time to take a rain check on further improving our roads and highways.