ROAD FUND SHORTED BY HIGH GASOLINE PRICES

(06/21/2005)
West Virginia highway construction is taking a beating with the high price of gasoline.

High gasoline prices mean fewer people are filling up their tanks, and that means less money for the state Division of Highways.

The DOH's road improvement fund comes from the state gasoline tax.

The gasoline tax money is used to draw down matching money from the federal government.

The fund could end up millions of dollars short, because WV motorists are making fewer trips.

The WVDOH is looking at other funding options to keep the roads program going.