| By Bob Weaver
It seems like the West Virginia Department of Highways is almost Orwellian.
George Orwell said "Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them."
State Transportation Secretary Paul Mattox says he is hopeful businesses will come forward and express interest in entering into partnerships to build new privatized roads in West Virginia.
Mattox made his statement on the same day another WVDOT official said there is no plan to privatize the state's system.
State DOH workers have expressed concern for several months the agency is moving toward more outsourcing and private contracting, after removing traditional equipment from county offices, not rehiring personnel and focusing on "core maintenance."
Officials frequently contend it is cheaper to go private, but there is virtually no evidence to support the change.
A new state law allows for public-private partnerships.
West Virginia joins 23 others states which already have the authority to get help from the private sector, mostly creating toll roads.
Mattox says more and more of the highway budget is being eaten up by the cost of maintaining 36,000 miles of existing roads.
He says the new law gives the DOH an innovative financial tool.
The DOH can now solicit proposals from private entities to do construction work.
Mattox says the agency will enter into a comprehensive agreement to cover all aspects of the project from engineering to funding of construction.
Referring to U.S. Route 35 in Putnam and Mason counties, he said "The projects we now have in mind may have sufficient traffic on them, projects that are needed," he said. "But they are also projects that we don't have the public funds available to begin the construction now."
The private firm would have to build the road to meet federal and state regulations.
"This allows us to tap into the private sector and the funding they have available for highway construction," he said.
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